~colormaking~

Spring just keeps springing. We've had wet. And sun. And now humid. Like totally on summer or back to 40 degrees and raining.

Babies seem to be the new "in" thing to produce for my friends and relations . So I am making these adorable booties, a Norwegian pattern rewritten into a more workable style by me and now on Ravelry.

Someone turned 18 and for his surprise party, we were asked to wear sunglasses and bring a poem. Sylvan and I penned one in the style of the immortally wonderful John Burningham's Would You Rather? Here's a sample: 

Would you rather...

Swallow a tomato horn worm whole,

or chew it up first?

Kick your principal as hard as you can

or run naked through your school?

Still ever watchful of little feet.

Turns out the Beastie Boys make great music to sew by. I had a Pandora channel going and it was like a tour of 90s hiphop fun. In honor of the late MCA of course.

This was the fabric I couldn't leave the store without, at a spring visit to Alewives. I purchased 2 yards of this lovely Japanese cotton-linen fabric and will get TWO skirts out of the deal, shorter versions of Amy Butler's Barcelona A-line. Two skirts because one half of the vertical length of the fabric is the pretty birdies and the other side is a lovely garden with viney flowers.

Two yards of fabric, two adorable skirts. I always feel so awkward when people compliment me on my skirts, like "I'm just the person who knew an awesome fabric when I saw it and shelled out the money."

Well, OK, I made it too. But that's just following directions and Amy writes them well.

Thanks, Japanese fabric designers for making fabrics that inspire and delight me!

(Another post coming soon to cover the other parts of life like baseball games, friends being silly, and those red skates.)

~Making and Mending~

We had a mild conflagration last weekend. During a filmmaking session a halogen light was leaned up against the big puffy pillow that goes inside of Sylvan's Huggle Pod. It was noticed pretty quickly, but not before a hole had been burned.

So I thought: what would Kim do? Make a mushroom patch for all that green, of course!

I have not very gracefully been learning and playing with the New Camera. I am not very patient with myself and easily frustrated. But I still feel lost sometimes and annoyed with myself that I am not wildly overjoyed every minute I am using it.

The light outside this time of year is less than inspiring, mostly gray. Occasionally there are beautiful moments that I see on my way to or from work, but I don't always have the camera, or if I do I am usually rushing. I am taking the New Camera with me more often and trying (trying!) to leave a little early in the mornings---already early enough at 7 am!

The Lacy Baktus is coming along well. I am adoring the Good Karma Yarn: a delight to handle and the colorway is gorgeous. And for all of you knot-haters out there, I can tell you that I haven't had a single one in this whole skein. I have decided to keep on knitting, past the 23" the pattern specifies (before beginning the decreasing), because I want it long enough to be drapey and wrappy.

Oh and this bag? Adorable, yes? From dear Joanie, purchased at Nest, which looks like a must-visit destination. The fabric is light, like a pillowcase, with these sweet embroidered birdies on it. Perfect knitting bag because I can sling it over my shoulder and knit on the go, or sling it over the arm of my chair by the fire.

Like right now. At home, on my very first snow day as a teacher!

~Gnomes~Textures~HandWork

I'd like to eat this plant.

I saw it at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which was stunning even in November. They have a reflexology labyrinth made of stones that you are invited to take your shoes off and experience (M&S: we are going there together next summer when you visit!!!!) and a beautiful children's garden. Not to mention a stunning art show by dear Toki!

I finished Jared Flood's Cobblestone pullover, which you may have seen bits of along the way here. It is my new favorite weekend cozy thing to wear, knit from SeaColors by Nanney Kennedy. I like the side detailing in garter stitch.

Friends: I miss you.

Here I was spending time in this new gorgeous kitchen around dinner time with my dear friend B.,: two mamas and a 5 year old and a 1.5 year old, trying to navigate a beautifully photographed recipe for a garlic/goat cheese tart. Two adults felt like the bare minimum: baby holding, recipe reading, snack giving, chopping, etc.

This pot rack was made by my crafty, hip friend, B.---and she made the light fixtures too! With the red colander! Love. It. Helpfully, the kitchen includes a little workspace for small helpers: this creation turned out to be a Vegetarian Compost Tartlet made from scraps of dough and veggies.

My own Tomten (brought back from Sweden) has been awaiting this mushroom for about 30 years. It is perfectly sized for him. And how could I resist a craft kit of little Amanita Gnomes to go with?

Sylvan, mad crafter himself, has been busy writing instructions on how to make a Pine Cone Balm (Bomb) with earnest and fabulous invented spelling:

And some kind of circle weaving, good for making bracelets and anklets.

The craft is returning. Eichenlaub Annual is on my mind. Family photo calendars too.

A Hat for Me and Knitters' Math

You already know about the angst I experienced with the Husband Sweater this year. But you have not been privy to the shorter-lived angst that has been the Wife Hat. He found the pattern on Ravelry (Mini Mochi Fair Isle Hat, knit with Mini Mochi in blue and variegated rainbow); I helped with the color choices, since it's good to know what you're good at, and color choices and naming things are two of my acknowledged strengths in the family.

no dainty sewing scissors for trimming the tails

for THIS knitter

I will tell you that Mr. Crafty was not daunted by the tiny needle size (2-3) or the Fair Isle carrying or the number of stitches required to cover my large head circumference. The stitches are beautifully even on both the front and the backsides.

He only quailed a little when he realized that the original pattern suggested a finishing technique that wasn't what he wanted, but then concurrently understood that if he was not going to pursue that particular finish to the hat, that he would have to take out a couple of inches worth of hard-won knitting. Yes, friends, a couple of INCHES of Fair Isle, two-color knitting on tiny needles, which you cannot just tear out but have to pick out, stitch by bloody stitch, and THEN untangle your two strands of yarn. This is the finish he chose, which is lovely:

At about 200 stitches per round, this was a significant commitment from a knitter whose attitude is usually more towards "living with" mistakes and incorporating them somehow into the design. It takes all kinds of knitters to make this world go round, I say.

And my Mr. Crafty is also a Math-Teacher and has, I think, finally succeeded in explaining the principle of Inverse Proportions to me, as it applies to gauge and needle size and total number of stitches. (This was the one personal obstacle that would prevent me from ever working in a yarn store.)

Here goes: You have 10 stitches per inch on some ridiculously tiny little needles. You have 4 stitches per inch with some thick needles and bulky yarn. Even though your needles are fatter, your yarn is bigger, your fabric is thicker...wait for it...you will have FEWER TOTAL STITCHES for your bulky project.

Taking this principle a little further, and I'm testing myself here, if your hat pattern has you casting on 200 stitches with a suggested gauge of 10 st/in, your total circumference will be 20 stitches. But what if you're getting 8 st/in? (Yes, this is the real question that would have stumped me before.) If you're getting fewer stitches per inch YOUR HAT WILL BE BIGGER than you want it to be. In this case, by a lot: FIVE whole inches! Wow. My huge head is not even that big.

on the April Fools' Day blizzard

we all wrote letters

So, if there are any gauge-doubters out there, I hope this brief entry on applied math will convince you. EZ says "Check your gauge or end in a rage." (I did both on that sweater, as you may recall.)

Mr. Crafty, you've made me a brilliant, gorgeous, rainbow hat that is executed with precision and fits me perfectly. Thank you. (And I hope I never lose it.)

Swaps are Swell

I like swaps. Blog swaps are great, but sometimes swaps with people I actually know are also great. So lately I have had the opportunity to knit two pairs of Fetching Mitts for two women who inspire me weekly. (My mods are here.)

Kimberly, my exercise teacher, (but really that's too tame for the work we do in Sacred Sweat), got the first pair in exchange for some classes. Community, a strong and healthy body, and spiritual awareness is an amazing thing to trade for some little cabled mitts! I found it was hard to put a price on what I had created, but she's used to pushing me (with love!) into new territory.

Carrie the Quilt Artist/Iron Woman/Mom of 5, who also makes these great hand-dyed tank tops and work-out bras, got pair number two in exchange for some of those amazing tanks/bras. It was pretty amazing to find this perfect-for-her yarn in my stash. And they really looked amazing on her!

But then there are gifts. And gift-knitting is also wonderful. Knitting for anyone with intention is a powerful act of transformation. It brings that person closer to your heart with each stitch. And if they're far away, physically, too far away to hug, it's about the only thing that can be done.

I saw this pattern (entitled The Age of Brass and Steam) here first and fell in love with the delicacy and batwing edging. The batwing edging was the inspired twist provided by Moonstitches, in how she blocked it. I used a linen/baby mohair lace weight yarn, and the way that the linen took the dye is slightly lighter than the mohair, so it has this wonderful sheen to it. Who wouldn't love a little red cape, anyway?

Finally, we had some delicious sweet and sour chicken stir fry here (thanks to Tracy who turned me on to the recipe). And although the photo is not so great, the recipe was. I added way more veggies (broccoli, garlic, onion), and had more chicken and pineapple, and doubled the sauce. Everyone ate it and lots of leftovers!

EZ Seamless Hybrid: Finished

The sweater that brought me to frustration at each and every turn, cursing like a sailor at times, cast aside until I could bear to look at it again...the first and only time I have ever run out of yarn...gauge problems...techniques that were foreign to me...panicked emails to strangers on Ravelry...you name it, it happened here with this item that I had intended to knit with love for my husband. It was knit with a lot of teeth-gnashing and anguish.

Actually there was a lot of fear also. Fear that the finished garment, which had so delighted in torturing me, would not even actually fit the wearer the way the artist envisioned it. So part of my reticence to finish it, though I was eager to be done with the blasted thing, was the dread that it would continue to torture me in perpetuity because I would be staring a big, ugly, ill-fitting mistake in the face. Forever. Because of course he would have to wear it, even if it fit like an elephant wearing baggy tights.

Fortunately, I was wrong. The sweater fits Mr. Crafty as though it were made for him---ha! It was! I'm not certain I will embark on another male sweater again for many years to come, but this one will have to do for now. He didn't even let me block it and has worn it quite a bit already. Finishing it amidst my January blahs felt like a great exercise of will. If you want to read what Tom said, and some tips from me, it's on Ravelry. I may be adding some more details to the notes when I can stand to re-visit the drama of my knitting notebook.

And the birthday girl chose to celebrate her day with lady friends and little girls, making Valentine's cards together. Lots of treats including lemon squares with rosemary shortbread crust, spanakopita triangles, cookies, cake, and coconut sorbet with vanilla bean!

Would it be a Creative Endeavors post without someone's charming child? Here is Mr. Crafty holding Adorable A. while modeling his handsome sweater. His job during the party was mainly as baby-holder, and he didn't mind snuggling this sweet girl.