Simple Gift

There has been an onslaught of children's birthdays in our lives and that means the need for something to bring to the birthday parties. I have really wanted to stay true to the idea that we need to give less and use what is on hand ... plus I am obsessed with chalk lately which led to a really great birthday gift idea.


This is really just a piece of plywood that Tim cut down to placemat size and rounded off the edges, then I primed it and coated it with three layers of chalkboard paint. The end product is a cute child-sized board ready for any little person's hands. They were a huge hit with the boys and the adults, people scribbling away on them daily. I made extra and was glad for it when the party rounds hit.


They are easy to give with a box of chalk taped to the board (super cute washi tape, I think it is called). There is no need for wrapping or a card as you can write the message directly on the present. The only thing I would change next time is to add a little block with felt for erasing. Otherwise, good to go.


I love that it is home made and holds to the ideas and ideals we are trying to keep present. It is impossible to show up to a party with nothing, that just seems too rude, but I hesitate to go out and contribute to the ever growing pile of discarded toys. This is such a nice way to say 'We love you, now go write something down'.

Speaking of chalkboards, I finally went and finished the wing wall in our kitchen, sanded it down smooth after my magnet paint debacle of over a year ago, then coated it with more chalkboard paint.

I love it and have been using it heavily for daily quote inspiration, list making and boy scribbling. Yay for finally completed projects. More to come.

My fave quote so far ""If I had 8 hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend 6 sharpening my axe."
Abe Lincoln

Why Owen wants a Doll

Finally, finally some of our closest friends are having children. It was iffy there for a bit. Tim and I were some of the first to have babies and then we went and had two and for a long time we were like pariahs, not because they did not want us around but because friends without children don't quite do the same things friends with children do. But now (cue evil laugh) they are coming over and it makes me supremely happy.

I have decided to reward my wonderful friends by making their children things...sewn things, to be exact. The latest gift went to a sweet baby girl who went from newborn to one like a race car goes from 0 to 60. At least that is how it felt to me...I am sure that is not so for the parents. Here is the little sweetie (her Mama made that bday hat. So cute).




I wanted to make her something girl but not too girly because her dad is really cool and punk rock and I wanted to skip the whole tutu thing. I used a pattern which I found at Bolt in Portland. (I can't find a link to the pattern but here is the blog of the pattern maker and her etsy shop).


It was designed by a mama local to that area and Owen fell in love with the sample dolls at the store. It is a great pattern, simple and enjoyable with a little bit of hand sewing and a little bit of time at the machine. I also found that JoAnn's now stocks bamboo stuffing for her insides so this little girl is as wholesome inside as out.

I highly recommend this pattern for anyone that would like to try a doll...the biggest challenge was picking out her 'clothes' and then stuffing her evenly so she did not look too lumpy.


I had to switch out the feet for a custom pair of Chucks as I have never seen any other pair of shoes on her Daddy. Isla was actually the recipient of all the the outgrown pairs we had sitting around here. But on her big birthday she was wearing....wait for it....pink ones. Guess her Daddy caved like every other one out there eventually does.

During the making I had a little guy named Owen at my elbow requesting that I sew one up for him.


He very specifically asked for a 'girl with yellow hair' as in the picture included with the pattern. I am not sure if I should be thrilled that he wants me to make him something or a little worried that he is already requesting a tall blond to carry under his arm. What a ladies' man.

Nothing quite like sewing for littles that I know I will be seeing around for years to come. Makes me all giddy inside.

Much more to come as babies are popping up all over the place around here. Yippeee.

Made :: Last Year's Holidays

It feels like Christmas was eons ago, but I also feel like it whirled by and I am left still wanting to create a whole slew of projects that I just did not get around to. I have a precious copy of a Martha Stewart publication that gathers some of her best ideas into one tidy magazine and I find myself still looking it over, wishing I could do them. I just might while still in the spirit, it might ensure that next year we send out handmade cards rather than Costco’s finest with our pictures emblazoned all over them. (If you click the link you can check the snowman button cards, so cute and so simple. These might actually work for me).

I thought I would recap some of my favorite holiday making from last year (gasp, really, 2009 is so gone). The first was the set of oven mitts I sewed up for my sister. They were solely from scrap corduroy folded in my stash and I used many layers of old batting and flannel to insulate them and I love love love them. The quilted effect really made them special and bolstered my desire to explore more of the quilting format in the coming year.

The pattern is really simple, from the Lotta Book, not exactly rocket science, cut and stack and quilt and sew together. I found it easiest to hand stitch the binding at the wrist edge as my machine sewing attempt was horrible. And now I need to make more, but I ran out of corduroy scraps. Anything will work, but I love the way the cord quilted up.


This season was the year of candy making, as evidenced by a whole post devoted to marshmallow making. Then I made some caramels that had to be given out immediately for fear of eating them all. I also made some toffee that was out of this world.

I used the recipe from Molly’s book, but subbed in almonds and used Andes Mint candy chopped up with bittersweet chocolate for the top. People, I have discovered how to make a pan of sinfully delicious Almond Roca. I thought Tim might pass out when he realized that this new knowledge can be implemented at any time. In. Our. Home. I might have too as I wished I could erase the knowledge of candy making from the memory bank. It is a frickin’ dangerous thing to know.

There was this banner from my ever inspirational friend Jennifer that came together from more fabric stash.

Easy project and perfect for hanging all the cards we received in the mail. I used small pieces, sewed them right side together, turned them and stitched them at intervals to store bought bias binding. It is great as it can be used year after year for hanging the cards that come. Cards are one of my favorite parts of the season and it is nice to display them in a way that lets them become a part of our days leading up to Christmas.


One of the last thing I tried was a New Year’s Day appetizer.

I read an SK post on mushrooms and cream and immediately understood where she gets the ‘smitten’ in her blog name. We had made the mushroom Marsala pasta a few days before so I had all needed ingredients for a mushroom caviar, but no brioche for toasts. Back to the Martha Stewart magazine, where I found recipe for crackers. So I made crackers. It sounds crazy but they are so easy….basically flour, butter, cheese, spices, cream or milk. Bam. Cracker dough. Roll it out thin, cut it pretty, bake it a long time, and you have crackers. Mine were garlic parmesan with red pepper flakes and they were gooooood. Especially with creamy mushroom caviar dolloped on top. (SK made crackers too, her recipe sounds just like the one I used, so here you go).

Some of this knowledge is stuff I would rather not know as the waist band of my pants tightened ever so slightly every other day leading up to the holiday week. But the holidays are over and I guess I can just tuck away some of this knowledge to re-visit next year. We all know the holidays are going to be here before we know it, right?

Now, onto the next year of making. As long as it does not hold weekly candy making efforts, I think I am game.

One Special Knit

Most of my knits have a story. Sometimes it is a fairly simple one, along the lines of “saw it on Ravelry and had to have it right now”. But many of them mean a little bit more to me and as I make them, wind the yarn, pull through each stitch, I think about the story, the person who will be on the other end of the giving.



This knit has a rather long story, years long actually. Back in my early days of knitting, pre-kids, pre-even entertaining the idea of kids, I bought a book full of the sweetest children’s knits. It is called Adorable Knits for Tots by Zoe Mellor, and though the patterns are a bit laborious, it holds many lovely little pieces. The time for children was coming, imminent really, but in those days I just paged through the book, imagined knitting patterns, trying to see what my child would look like in knits.


I fell in love with the many cabled projects in the book and picked a few that I knew I would love knitting. Cabling was fairly new to me then, these vests were the first ones I tried without a cable needle. I knit the first one and put it away, only knitting the second after I found out we were having twins. I was lucky to have enough yarn to finish a second. It is what they wore when they met Santa for the first time.

But my first love in the book was a hooded heavily cabled jacket, I do not know if it was the knit or the curly headed child wearing it that made me long to make it. The Robin Hood Jacket called my name.



I ordered the yarn, the gorgeous Rowan Cork that they cruelly discontinued. I held onto those 7 skeins like precious stones, stacked carefully in my wall cubbies. Sometimes I looked at them and studied the pattern, but I never did knit it up. The boys were born and time passed along. I only had enough yarn for one and I could not imagine the making of one without the other…they notice things like that now.

A few months ago I read a post from Jess and then I knew what I was going to do with that precious yarn. And so I finally cast on for the sweater that I had dreamed of making for my little one.



And as I knit each stitch I thought about a lot of things. About a little girl who might need something to snuggle under as cooler weather comes and her birthday approaches. A Mama I have yet to meet, but want to hug more every day, want to hold carefully and give anything I can to assuage some of her hurting. A loss that is so difficult to comprehend and accept, a loss of such a girl to such a family.

Knitting is so intimate and loving, it means so much to me in so many ways. As I watched the boys dance around and run in the cool morning air, snapping away with my camera to capture this knit…to capture them…I remembered those days; pre-them, pre-Mamahood, pre-twins. That time when my child was only imagined, when I looked at those glossy pictures with little ones in little knits and wondered ‘curly or straight’, ‘boy or girl’. I never dreamed of twins, never saw into the looking glass of my future children in that way.



And now they are here, boys running and climbing and gently caring for a baby doll that is going home with the cabled sweater. I will knit them different cable sweaters soon, but this one is going the place it should. It is so hard to know what to offer. I have thoughts and prayers and hopes for a grieving family. And I have yarn and stitches and physical warmth to give. But I wish I had something else…something more. For now, I know it will go to the home where it is needed and maybe give something more.



The Whitt family is leaving soon, not in a jet plane, but a large RV that will take them around our country, a few months away from the place that must hold so many many things for them. If you know Tuesday’s story from reading here, you might consider stopping by Jess’s blog and giving a bit to the journey. The original plan is posted here…they may not be writing “fuck Cancer” on the side of the borrowed bus, but sometimes I wish they could.

Cowl Swap and other Good Things

Sometimes you get lucky. There are times I have a little blog disenchantment, but then something reminds me and pulls me back to the 'why' of the 'do it'. My knitting ladies are a huge part of that. They were my first experience with contact, with making real connections and the community I found has been invaluable. These women are so talented and lovely and able to knit a mean cowl. A really mean cowl.

So, we planned a cowl swap and a baby shower and a good bye.

They all fell on the same day and it could not have been better. We had the chance to hang out with the coolest kid in the universe and his Mama.

I think Kat is my knitting idol.guru. She is fearless in her design, she walks her design, lives it. I am always a little bit in awe when we meet up, so glad to call her a friend because she is that cool.

And then there is Shannon and Lucy.

She was the baby part of the party. And, bab-eeee. Man, that little girl stole my heart and made my ovaries ache. 75% of my photos featured her because I just could not stop focusing on her. And Shannon is Mama personified. It was so nice to shower her with gifts, all the pieces and fiber and love crafted to give to this little girl. Who has a killer look, all baby doe eyes. I wonder where she might have gotten that from. Shan, you are awesome, seeing you and your baby girl made my heart happy.



The cowls each came out with their own personality, own beauty. It is the first time I have intentionally knit for another (very accomplished) knitter and there were the twinges of fear and panic that she might see my mistakes, but there was also a little bit of envy that she would get the cowl. Whatever it was I knit with, it is soft and plush. And Jillian liked it, so I felt great.

It was funny, we all agreed that we fell a little in love with our own creations and wanted our recipient to love it as much. And we all did. Mine, what can I say? Julia knit mine.


If you would have asked me 5 years ago that one day I would know, hang out with and receive a perfectly gorgeous cowl from Julia, I would have jaw dropped. She was the impetus for the swap, but she was also the first blogger I ever read. So it makes my cowl that much sweeter. Thanks, J.

Swap if you can, knitters. It serves for such a rush of real knitting love.

And last but not least, there was the good bye. Lori has come fully through her Phd, dissertation completed, job procured near her home in Canada. Which means Lori is leaving us. Oh, Lori, I miss you already.

She has made a promise to bring back her blog and for this I am grateful. It would be much too much to lose you totally, L. This woman rocks and I only wish I could have had years more to get to know you in person. Just know I know where you live, Lori. And I might be coming your way. Especially if this country does not clear up their confusion regarding the whole health care reform. Go, social medicine.

Whatever you do, you should always have one of these around. Aching ovaries and all.


And you should always have good good friends. Love to you all. Here is the video message from the boys (ignore the kitchen state, that is what happens when you make ganache filled cupcakes).

Cannot wait to do it again.

FOs :: BSJ and Patchwork Duvet

Finally, it is complete. The BSJ III.

In this, my third knitting of the BSJ, I got a little cocky. I loved knitting the first two but I was not quite sure that I liked the way the back increases made the body of the sweater balloon out a bit. Per EZ’s instructions, it was to accommodate those sweetly swollen little tummies babies so often sport, but I wanted a more svelte look. I decided to eliminate the back increases that she calls for in the pattern and go from there. I really should have known better than to mess with brilliance. That EZ knows what she is doing and I am not sure that I do.

Somewhere along the way the stitch count was skewed and I ended up at the last stage folding up a slightly skewed BSJ. Those of you that have done this pattern know that the magic of it comes when you fold the awkward looking handkerchief a certain clever way and TA DA! You discover a lovely little baby sweater in the folds. When I folded mine, I found a sweater with a little too much overlap and quite lacking in proper alignment. So much for the svelte look I thought a child should sport. Again, do not mess with brilliance.

It does look okay now after some finagling and the addition of a few coconut buttons.


I started this way back in January and the knitting of it came along so quickly but then the awkward hanky sat around for a long time. When it finally came time to finish it, I sat down with yarn darner and instructions from the Yarn Harlot for joining the seams at the shoulders. She only posted two photos, but those were enough to help me figure out a nice clean seam, better than my previous two. To redeem myself and my knitted alterations, I knit up another pair of the Ysolda booties.

The yarn gods are not feeling terrible benevolent towards me right now, so of course, the booties did not come together easily. I must have miscounted a few rows in one of them, when I finished the second I found two different sized booties, one noticeably smaller and unable to be gifted. And the baby shower was only an hour or so away.

I wrapped up the gift with a note and a promise to send the second bootie in the mail ASAP.



This is a shot of the wrapping paper. I love to use the big pieces of paper the boys and I paint and draw on. Reduce, reuse, recycle, right?

I highly recommend both of these patterns. Please do not be intimidated by the BSJ. The instructions look cryptic, but are easily followed and you can do it is you know how to do a knit stitch, increase and decrease and, um, count. And follow directions as written. This is not a pattern to mess with. And the booties.

Those are precious and simple and easy. My biggest challenge was counting the rows. I sense a theme developing here. I might have to invest in a row counter if I do not show immediate improvement.

Both projects used less than a skein of the Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn. BSJ was on 5 or 6s and looks like it will fit better toward the 6-12 month range. And the booties were on 2s.

Next up in the queue is this little cutie. This doll has been calling my name since I opened her pattern booklet. I also happen to have the called for yarn weight in the stash. And it looks like Friday night is going to be a sit and knit night with my ladies. Cannot wait for that. Let’s hope the dolly goes a bit smoother than the booties. And I might have to cast on for her little mouse friend next. I highly recommend the pattern booklet by Ysolda. Every pattern is knitable and she is selling it for a reasonable price and you get a instant download copy and a printed booklet with adorable pictures that inspire you to knit every project.

One thing did go right, but it is in the sewing category. I posted about the patchwork duvets for the boys here. They continued to come together in the background, piece by piece, as patchwork does.


I had some grand plan to quilt the fronts or something then realized I would never ever finish them if I did that. Instead, I added some sashing and a strip of color to the backing and sewed the front and back together and had something to put on the duvet that night.

They absolutely love it. The minute it hit the bed, Owen was on it and under it and wrapped up in it. He was found reading his book on it, and later asked for it at bedtime.


There is nothing better than knowing that they know that this was made for them. And I got it done just in time to welcome the triple temps, a perfect time to be using a duvet. For now they will likely sleep on it, or more than likely we will find them on the floor or kicked to the end of the bed. But the reception they gave was more than enough to make up for my pretty pronounced dislike of patchwork. Maybe I just need to do it more often.

We will see. I have to finish the second backing and sew it up stat before Mace notices. But until then, here are a few more photos of my boy loving his covers. Heart melting.

Finished for {Friday} : 2008 Version

I am not sure if this counts as Finished For Friday, but I going with it anyway. Let's call it Finished for 2008, shall we? I really wanted to share some of the wonderful things my baby sister Emmalien made for the Christmas season. It was awesome to open them and find all of the craft and love and true precision she put into each gift. The girl can sew, let me tell you.

So, the boys each received a book and a stuffy. The books blew my mind. Just take a look...

Every page handmade; embroidered and sewn. The details are awesome and there was a moment when I considered putting them away so the prying hands of Team Demo could not mar their beauty. I thought better of it, as isn't that what she made them for, curious little fingers that can touch and turn and read each bit.

The other day I found Owen with the Veggie book open to the grape page as he ate his morning snack of grapes. And I melted. So, they love them, Memchis...you are the very best of sisters, of aunties and of crafters I know. And rest assured, if those boys start to rough them up they are going on Mama's nightstand for some light evening reading.

And I was showered too. I now have a roomy new purse that is sturdy and beautiful. It is my new go-to bag and holds all that I need and more.

I love the buttons and the construction. Emmy, your seams make me swoon.

And I can finally claim to own a real wallet, with places to put pictures and cards and money.
I would say my sister rocks, wouldn't you? I have linked it before, but give her a visit and a shout out in the comments if you can. She blogs at EmNatural.

I had intended to post about my almost successful hand made Christmas gifts but the time whirled away during the holidays so I will just plug it in here, following along with all the crafty goodness. Most were knits, the few sewing projects I sent without getting photos. The 'almost successful' label is only there as a few projects did not pan out great, and one was made after the actual day due to a custom request..but here they are.

The fruits of labor that started waaay back in August. I loved doing it all and gifting the efforts upon my loved ones. But next year I think sewing shall take the front seat along with some canning and planting.

All in all, it was a good Finish for the Year. Now I can focus on what is hand. Which includes an exciting night of knitting and friends and cake with my fiber girls.

Oh, and you should make these.

Homemade English muffins. Not too be vulgar, but I am pretty sure Tim might take me in the kitchen if he comes home to a warm basket of this love again. TMI? Sorry.
(Yeah, so I once read trashy romance novels. What of it?)

Christmas Created

I am feeling so in the Holiday Spirit after last night's festivities. It all came together and became more than I ever expected, more than one could imagine. On this morning, I am so in love with my friends and the lives we are creating with and for each other


So, a few weeks ago we decided to arrange a gift exchange with the only caveat being that we make what we give.

There were a few jitters and the possibility that my usually destroyed home might not be ready to house all of us, but we are charged ahead and trusted in the fact that what we were doing came from a good place, so even if the recipient was not a close friend, they would be loving their gift because it was made for them.

Anyway, let us start with the food.

We each made an appetizer and brought it to the table. Cuban empanadas, bacon wrapped shrimp, the requisite spinach dip, a delicious artichoke dip (recipe to follow) and our family secret, Indonesian lumpia.

What are lumpia, you ask? They are the singular most delicious feast food ever. A bit like an eggroll, but not at all. Filled with vegetables and lightly seasoned meat, fried in delicate wrappers and consumed with a passion you have never seen. We made 200 or so and every single one disappeared rapidly. I always swear to eat only 3 or 4 and end up losing count around 10. It is a good thing we only make them once a year or I would roll places, not walk.

So, the night was beautiful and well fed and gathered and then we got down to the business of giving. I am still in a bit of shock by how moved and excited I was by the things that emerged from their pretty packaging. We rocked the giving this year, all with beautiful expressions that came form our hearts, not from a store or box. Things pieced and painted, knitted and crocheted, sewn and arranged. Things brought forth from inside to be given to another. I feel giddy just writing it.

The montage does not do the gifts true justice, but they are all there. I was unbelivably moved by my gift from Jenn. She took quotes from my past posting and wrote them on a frame with pictures of the boys. I cried. I just could not help it...the words are so powerful. And it was all like that. So, you know we have a new tradition to look forward to year after year, I know new women will join, maybe some will leave due to circumstances and the like. But I love knowing come next year, in this sacred place we call Home, there will be joy and generosity and creativity and food. Ah, the food.

What a wonderful way to begin a week of celebration and family.

I am deeply and truly honored to call you friend all : Alicia, Kate, Kim, Jenn, Courtney, Cristina, Veronica, Jeanette,and Mom. I love you all. And Ana, I know you were busy making something else,

But next year we are gonna sew something fierce to give, right?

Something for this kid for sure. I love the D, here he is repurposing some table top decorations. Truly the son of a crafter.

And on a hilarious twisty end to the gift giving. I have this friend Mike.

He is our bestest of friends, the reason Tim and I came together, actually. He was very intrigued and a little resentful of the fact that he was not included in the gift exchange. He is a very handy lad, carpenter and carver by trade. Well, he called a day before the party and asked me to come approve a little something he was making up for the ladies.

He spent 4 hours in his back room, secreted away, hard at work like a little elf. But he felt he should check with the hostess before he crashed the party. And I giggled every time I thought of the giving. Because he made us each a little ornament to take home. Here it is waiting on its presentation. Look a bit closer, won't you?

Are you laughing. We sure did. Thanks, Mikey, you can play with us anytime. And thanks Katie, your man is the best.


Now, onward ho. I am bubbling with the joy of it all. If you would like to see the gifts up close the Flickr set is here. Happy holidays, people. Wish all my blog friends could be there next year. The invite is open.