~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.)

~early spring~

did you think I could resist these?

We had the Winter That Wasn't and now are having some lovely, warm days. The sun is strong, no leaves on the trees, so when you are outside it can feel very tiring this time of year.

Maple syrup time. An afternoon of helping friends clean their yard, stoke the fire in the Sugar Shack, watch the baby pick up pine cones, make sure no one chopped off their foot, and watching some very industrious wood chopping boys. (Worried GPW should avoid the following pictures!)

Notice the careful, wide-legged stance!

Also, some friends visited (baby feet, pictured above) and we caught up and played games and made yummy food (dehydrated kale chips were delicious, even Jonas admits it!), including some very rich and decadent chocolate chip cookies, as well as very delicious butter cookies sweetened with maple syrup. Here they are bumping elbows on the rack.

...Shhh! The computer is napping.