Stitch Rabbit

Today I Am...

Reading more about the syphon coffee process after finding this gem while thrifting.

 

Winding the last of the denim colored Anzula yarn I got on my trip to Toronto. It's their For Better or Worsted hand-dyed yarn and it's unbelievably beautiful.

 

Working away at mustard colored socks and flipping through Ravelry patterns for ideas for my newest yarn.

 

Considering a tamer version of the Master Cleanse... or at least just juicing all these lemons and drinking the hell out of them.

 

Wondering how much longer I'm going to have to wear a jacket over all these pretty dresses. Come on May, work your magic.

The New Room.

I don't know what we were thinking. We got home from our holidays this weekend, unpacked our bags and started tearing the house apart. A fresh approach, a new look, more space - it was just time. My studio has officially been half-packed into boxes and taken downstairs. We spent a night painting the old room, building the AMAZING vintage teak beds I scored a few months back, and moved in the kids.

It's been six years of our family sharing one bedroom, in this house or others. Some people think we're crazy, to pile into one room like that - and I'll admit, it wasn't always easy. But I hold strong to my belief that having my kids in my bed and in beds close to ours has given them a very positive sleep experience their whole lives. As babies, the bond between a mother's body and their own is not broken at birth. It takes months and years to establish a trust in the dark, a safety in the night, and belief that Mommy and Daddy are always right there. Some kids get it sooner and some later. I think we've done a beautiful job at giving our kids the ability to sleep well.

And then it comes a time when their little bodies grow too big for a crowded bed and a crowded room and it becomes the time for them to claim their own space. We may be a little later in the game then most, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. This is a milestone in all of our lives, and I am proud and certain that my kids are insightful enough to say yes to their own independence.

So, without further ado, here is their new space. Taken with my Iphone, since my camera is somewhere in the depths of my next project... the studio. Sweet dreams little ones. We're just down the hall.

 

**PS - I am fully aware that by tomorrow morning, this entire room will be upside-down. At least I'll have the pictures to remember the clean beauty it was!!**

Moving On

February is over. Thank goodness that's done. Now we can move forward, brush the winter from our sleeping bodies and get started with spring already. Right? You with me?

I've got a stack of books on the nightstand, on the coffee table and on the kitchen table, most of them my inspiration for gardening, for homesteading, for living off the land. The un thawed, black dirt that will grow for us again. The planning continues...

In the meantime, while ra-ra-ing the sring from the windows of my warm and cozy home, I've been sewing some, cutting patterns, and knitting cowl orders. I finished this pillow, my first starbust kinda pieced thing, I made it up as I went along and I think it turned out alright!

 

I got the chance to sneak out for an hour while visiting my Mom's this weekend with the kids. My mom is so amazing. She just straight up says to me:

"You wanna go thrifting for a few hours? I'll watch the kids."

Rock on Gramma. I beelined it for "Mennonite Thrifty Land of Amazing Things For cents, not dollars"

I'm trying to hold back on the dishes these days, being that a few stacks of my dinner plates are so heavy that I've a little concerned that the cupboards can bear the weight. So I went for strictly fabric/notions and crafty things of all manner. I found a couple of patterns I can use:

 

I love the illustration of these two especially. They look so happy that their mother has made them these darling little outfits and that puppets are so darn cute:

 

So chipper as ever, this morning  I am happily saying "Welcome March! And all that you bring!"

Let's hope it all comes in like a lamb and leaves all cute and bouncy and soft like one too.

 

A Quick Thrift in Mennonite Land

My parents live in Mennonite country. This means a few things. Great produce, great dairy, and incredible thrifting for the crafty. I rarely take a trip out this way without slipping away for a few hours to do the thrifty rounds. Lots of great dishes, lots of vintage sheets and aprons, and LOTS of fabric. For stinking cheap. Here's a peek at a few things I picked up today. Can't wait to get home to the work my husband has been up to at home. ( not telling you yet - you'll have to wait!)

Knitting, Felting and Costumes Oh My.

It's been a busy week here. A lot of knitting, I've finished a few more cowls slouchy neckwarmers (see this post) as well as some serious Halloween crafts going on, both the children and my own. Frankie's Halloween costume is made - after much contemplation she has moved up in the world from last years "Pink Princess" costume (I know) to this years higher ranking of "Queen". I used a bodice from a mock-up of her wedding dress and some seriously regal looking stripes to create a look that just screams royalty. Complete with felted crown and a wand made from an old knitting needle wrapped in ribbon and she's complete.

 

On our recent trip to Nelson we visited a great little store called MapleRose, a Canadian Waldorf-Inspired store that carries felting supplies, yarn, books and nature-inspired toys. It was amazing. Frankie and I went back and visited four times. I bought more roving for needle felting (I needed more colors, I swear) and this week I started stabbing wool with a needle to create some pretty adorable little dolls for Christmas...I'm using a tutorial from Living Crafts Magazine, the Fall 2010 issue. Will post the finished projects once I'm done!

 

I also got to go on an impromptu thrift date with my friends today, to a great little shop who's name I will not tell. All I can say is that they still mark things for 25 cents. Almost unheard of in the city. In the land of Value Village and mark ups for anything considered "vintage" it's hard not to yearn for the old days, or get the urge to head out - head waaaaay out of town to find some truly good thrifted deals. This little place still gives me the satisfaction of reaching for my change purse instead of my debit card.

Happy Halloween Weekend!

 

 

 

What I Love To Do

I thought I ought to give you a peak at some of the things I love to do. While I make mostly for myself, my kids and as gifts, I am on the brink of beginning to sell my wares as well. It's terrifying. Will people like my work? Is it good enough? Well-made? Original?

A learning process in confidence, I am sure. What I do know is that I do it with love. Handmade anything holds so much value to me - and to a lot of you out there too! When something is created with a little bit of invention, a little bit of vintage, a little bit of found pieces and a lot of stitches it becomes a piece that is sentimental and special. It tells a story.

Here are some of my stories.

 

 
* Please forgive the blurry photos. I am only working with the camera on my iphone and the photos only look pretty on the phone, not in a larger format. My first lesson in this process is " It's time to buy a new camera".

Any suggestions?