Simply Playing

Shipping Upgrade and Sale

2011-12-13T10:15:00.000-06:00

Are you worried about getting Christmas gifts you order online in time for the big day? Worry no more! I am upgrading all my shipping from First Class to Priority Mail for FREE (for those within the United States)! So, you'll be paying First Class shipping prices, but getting Priority Mail service. Priority Mail shipping time is 2-3 days so you still have plenty of time to get those gifts for the children in your life. I will be offering this until December 20th after which time I cannot guarantee Christmas delivery.

New Wooden Baby Teething Ring with rainbow felt chain links

Don't forget the other offer going on in the Simply Playing shop of 10% your purchases by using the coupon code "Christmas11" upon checkout. This offer will also end on December 20th. There are still over 50 items to choose from in the shop: baby teething ring, stuffed cats, crowns, garlands, jewelery kits and magic wands. Stop in today to peruse the selections!

The Kitties Are Back!

2011-12-05T20:02:00.000-06:00

Yes, the classic knit Waldorf stuffed cats are back for sale at the Simply Playing shop. Why you might ask did I stop in the first place? Well, these little kitties are a lot of work to make - simple but time consuming. I felt they were not worth my effort as I couldn't see charging for the time they actually took me to create. So, the next question logically follows - "Why are they back then?" Plainly put I just missed them. They are so charming and bring a smile to my face after I finish each one. I like that the head always seems to have a "front" side even though each side is the same. It is the absolute best use for spare lengths of yarn, and I LOVE using up all my yarn to the very last bit.

I feel I should caption this photo "The Running of the Kitties"

So back they came into my life and shop ready for new families to take them into their homes to love and cherish. Please stop by and take a peek at them all for they are all very different with their own personalities. Some are curly from using boucle yarn, some fuzzy from mohair yarn and some just plain old wool yarn (all plant dyed of course.) Let me know what you think about these little fellows - are they keepers?

Upcoming SALE on Etsy

2011-11-27T19:39:00.000-06:00

Starting next Sunday, December 4th, I will be having what I hope to be an annual Holiday Sale in my etsy shop SimplyPlaying. I'm looking forward to cleaning out all my old stock and starting fresh in the new year. The sale will be for 10% off anything in the shop; just use the code "Christmas11" upon checkout to receive this savings. Tuesday December 20th will be the end date for the sale and when I will also close the shop until the new year starts in January 2012. Please help me earn some Christmas spending money since all "Santa" has purchased so far is socks!

Jewelery Kit

2011-07-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

Making things very often means creating waste too, and my work is no exception. I have a fair amount of yarn and felt scraps from making my wands and crowns. I came up with this solution for the really small scraps which I discribe in this post, but what to do with the pieces that were too small for my wands, but still usable? Having time to bring new ideas to fruition does not come my way too often, but I did get a moment this week to finally finish a project that uses those still usable scraps. What I came up with is a jewelery making kit containing lots of wooden beads and a rainbow of small square felt pieces to be threaded onto hemp string for necklaces and bracelets.

It comes in a natural cotton bag containing 117 unfinished wooden beads of various sizes and styles, 180 pieces of plant dyed felt (20 pieces of each color) and 4 yards of hemp string. I mention in my shop's listing for this kit that the beads could be colored with markers, painted with watercolor paints or dyed with Easter egg dyes or simply left plain. My original intention was to plant dye the wooden beads, but I became a little overwhelmed with the process. I'm still hoping to try plant dying before the summer is over and just focus on 1-3 colors. Maybe the kits could contain half colored and half plain beads. What do you think - would this kit be better with colored beads, plain beads or both? I wanted to keep this item simple as everything else I make is so time consuming and detail oriented, but then maybe that's just my style. What do you do with your project scraps?

Swimming

2011-07-26T07:25:00.000-05:00

We just got back from a short camping trip to Baker Park. It's not far from our home, a mere half hour drive, but it feels like getting away none the less. We camped for just one night packing in a lot of outdoor play time taking walks, running around at the playground and of course going to the beach (a prerequisite in the summer living in the land of 10,000 lakes.)

Sam has surprised me on how comfortable he is in the water as of late. Dunking his head all the way underwater (on purpose no less), flying in the air after being tossed by Dad and finally floating on his back resting his head in the water. He hasn't had a formal swim class yet, but I think it's time as he's almost teaching himself! We've heard good things about Foss Swim Schools so I think we might try there. It will be good for him to swim confidently before we take our trip to the Phillipines this winter.

Here's a few snaps of my boy in action!

Looks like fun - yes? What are you doing to enjoy your summer?

What To Do With Felt Scraps?

2011-07-19T14:17:00.005-05:00

Hello! It's been a while since I'd posted so I just thought some sort of greeting was in order. Now that that's done on to my new post.

I hate to throw away anything in our garbage unless I absolutely have to, so we compost, donate and recycle as much as we can. But, as you can imagine there are many things that do not fit into one of these categories. And, being a person who sews, knits, stitches, scrapbooks etc. I seem to accumulate large quantities of material waste. With larger amounts of yarn I came up with the following use you can read about in this post (it's gotten much longer since I posted) but the tiny felt and yarn bits have up until now been sitting around in ziploc bags hoping a future use would arise.

That use came to me when I was making the bed the other day. Our pillows have flattened to the thickness of pancakes. I want to replace them with wool pillows (we have one which I adore), but don't have the money. So, we have just been living with them as is bunching them up as best we can. Then I thought I'd make a wool pillow instead! Yes, I took out the pancake pillow from it's protective cover and filled it with years of amassed tiny, tiny felt and yarn scraps. Figuring they were all wool and naturally antibacterial so why not just try it and see.

Well the results have been good and we are now fighting over who gets the scrap pillow. I filled it about 3/4 full (loosely not packed) and it has the consistency of a down pillow but more firm. I highly recommend it to any of you out there with the same issue.

Now, all I need is a use for all my small fabric pieces and scrap booking waste. Any ideas?

Last Days of April "Set Sale" on Etsy

2011-04-27T10:16:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that April is coming to a close this Saturday. We are still cold here in MN with rain and even bits of snow making it feel more like March then April. So, with the ending of April comes the end on my "Set Sale" on Etsy. That's right purchase a wand and a crown/wreath you'll receive 10% off your order, but only until the 30th. Take advantage while you can!

NEW Flower and Butterfly Wreaths

2011-04-20T10:29:00.004-05:00

I have some new wreaths in the shop today: a pink flower wreath and a lavender butterfly wreath. It's so difficult when you do work involving multiples to find time to create new items as you are always trying to catch up on making the items you already have. But, as sales are slow this time of year extra time found it's way to me - yay! These 2 wreaths have matching wands too so they make great gift sets for a little girl in your life. Take a look below.

I would LOVE some feedback if any you have the time - especially on the butterfly wreath. Now I'm off to make some more butterfly wreaths and some crowns in new colors for boys (we can't forget the boys after all I have one!) Thanks for viewing!

2011-04-08T09:53:00.005-05:00

This Moment and Gratitude Friday

2011-03-11T09:52:00.006-06:00

This Moment...

a single photo capturing a simple, special moment from the week inspired by Soulemama.

Please share a link to your moment in the comments!

This week I am grateful for:

My husband coming home safe and sound from the Philippines

Heather from Beauty That Moves 30 Day Vegan project that my mom and I are experiencing

My Universal Pants which feel so comfortable on my body - I LOVE stretchy fabric waistbands

All the birds and squirrels coming to our home to be fed heralding in the Spring

What do you find yourself grateful for this week?

WIP Wednesday - On a Thursday, Again

2011-03-10T13:56:00.003-06:00

Well, I have been knitting, knitting, knitting! It's what I do when I'm stressed out and need something to keep my focus. And, with my husband Dan flying off to the Philippines, to help his mother sort out the outstanding amount of paperwork that occurs with a death, for 2 and a half weeks stress has lived in our household.

You would think I would have accomplished a few finished projects with all this knitting, but alas that is not the case. Lately, I have been getting bored easily and have now 6 unfinished projects. Yes, you heard right 6! Here's one that is almost finished; just weaving in ends and blocking left.

It's the ever popular Shalom Sweater on Raverly. The pattern was for a size S, which unfortunately I am not. So, I had to modify number of stitches cast on and used bigger needles as I tend to knit tight and always go up a size or two. I'm still not sure whether I like it or not. The yarn I used was Malabrigo Bulky in their Alpine Pearl colorway. It was truly a joy to work with as it's such soft and silky merino wool. After blocking I'll take some shots of me wearing the sweater and you can tell me what you think.

Here's another work in progress. It's called Kay's Tess D'Urbervilles Shawl also for free on Raverly.

This one is still on the needles as you can see so I don't know about the fit yet, but I am digging the pattern and the look of the yarn I choose - Lorna's Laces Shepard Worsted in their Happy Valley colorway. Again, this is a really SOFT merino wool yarn so knitting with it is a pleasure to be sure.

I'll save the other WIPs for next Wednesday. Maybe I'll have finished something by then...Hmm. What projects are you working on lately?

Gratitude Friday

2011-02-25T13:17:00.005-06:00

I am trying out an format where on Fridays I give a list of what I am grateful for this week. I got the idea from Waldorf Mama. The purpose is to keep me in the moment and well, grateful for my life here on this earth. Also, I suffer from depression, which I manage pretty well, and reminding myself of all the good in the world helps me from spiraling down. As my mom used to say "count your blessings and you'll feel better." Here's what's blessings I see this week:

Her's my mom helping Sam make cookies. He's wearing the red vest I made for Valentines Day.

1. Having my mother living with us and how much see helps out with caring for Sam, cooking, cleaning and shopping. Thank you MOM!

2. The telephone as it lets me talk to Dan while he's in the Philippines - amazing.

3. My son Sam's constant building of forts; so much fun.

4. Hummus with crackers and carrots - yum!

What do you find blessing you and yours this week?

WIP Wednesday - Yarn Scraps

2011-02-23T15:38:00.003-06:00

Hello. Do you too have lots of yarn scraps that you just can't seem to throw away? I do. I roll mine up into little teeny balls and put them in a drawer thinking I might use them, someday. Now, one thing you need to know about me is I LOVE to use up yarn, fabric etc. COMPLETELY. Some people enjoy having a bag of scraps around for future projects, but not me. So having this drawer filled with yarn scraps was driving me crazy. Then I came up with this soon to be brilliant idea of making a rug. I thought I could make a cord using all my little bits of yarn, stitch it into a spiral and then felt it in the washing machine.

Here's my cord coming along nicely. I love the rainbow bits the best.

Here's the cord all spiraled up to look like an oval rug.

Kind of like a crazy quilt only in this case a crazy rug. What do you think? Will it work out or be a flop? My guess is it will be good, but will take me a long time to finish as the felting will shrink the rug down quite a lot. I figure I'll just leave the cord on the needles and add to it as I finish my other projects like the pink sweater, felted clogs for me and my mom, socks, socks and more socks oh the list does go on! What's on your needles, hook, sewing machine today?

A Sad Ending

2011-02-22T08:31:00.003-06:00

In my Gratitude Friday Post I mentioned that my Father - in - Law had a horrible fall. Well, the outcome was a sad one with him passing on Sunday about 12 hours after my husband arrived in the Philippines. John was loved by many and especially by his wife Clarita of forty years. They were just beginning their retirement together at the home they built in Biliran, Leyte the Philippines; the town where Clarita grew up. We're all in such shock that a life can go so quickly, that life can be forever changed in a moment.

Here's Grandpa John with Sam in 2007. This is the only picture I have with them together.

Now, the heavy decisions are being made about where to bury John, they are Catholic like many Philippinos, either on their property there or back here in Minnesota. If it's in Biliran Sam and I will be flying out with Dan's brothers to be there. The flight is a three legged trip totally about 24 hours and with a four and a half year - lord help me. Apparently they have an elaborate funeral tradition in the Philippines which takes about 30 days. Currently they are having 9 days of prayer for John. The only consolation in all of this is that Clarita is surrounded by her family - her brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins. The whole town is pretty much all related somehow and they are all en force showing their support. Community is such a beautiful thing!

Hug the ones you love be they family, friends or neighbors and let them know you care. I'm happy we at least had a going away party for John and Clarita and we all hugged them before they left. We just didn't know that would be our last goodbye.

Gratitude Friday

2011-02-18T07:42:00.003-06:00

I am inspired by Waldorf Mama and her Gratitude Friday posts and thought I try one out for myself. Currently, our family is in a crisis mode as my father-in-law has had a horrible accident and is presently in a coma. What makes matters more complicated is that he is in the rural Philippines where he and my mother - in -law, who is Philippino, built a house. My husband just left early this morning to to be with his mother to help her through this time. So, Sam and I are on our own for a month. To keep myself from wallowing in sadness during this crisis I thought I'd list some things I am grateful for:

* The rest of our combined families are healthy and well.
* The joy and love my son Sam brings to me everyday.
* The offer of compassion and help from our friends.
* Knitting which relaxes me and keeps me in the present moment.

Sam says he's grateful for:

* Marble runs
* Mama
* Time snuggling

What are you grateful for on this Friday?

WIP Wednesday - On a Thursday

2011-02-17T14:44:00.004-06:00

Well, one day late isn't too bad. I was so happy with how Sam's Vest turned out I was just itching to start a sweater for myself. My parameters for this project was I had to use yarn and needles I have on hand. After searching on Raverly I found this wonderful pattern, which fit my limits perfectly, called Cassis Sweater. The yarn I used is Lamb's Pride in a dusty shade of pink and my size eight circulars (I always have to go up one size as I tend to knit tightly.) Here it is in progress below.

It's a top down knit knit on circulars but not in the round as it's a cardigan. Currently, I am just finishing up the collar portion. Looks good yes? Those needles look pretty full of stitches already so I may have to purchase longer ones. Oh, well I did try this time around. What is on your needles lately?

Valentines

2011-02-15T05:41:00.006-06:00

Valentines, Valentines, Valentines. We had fun making them, receiving them and giving them away to teachers, family and friends. Sam and I painted paper with watercolor to make our Valentines for school as seen below. The weaving was quite hard with the heavy watercolor paper so Sam just watched this part. We found the idea in the wonderful book All Year Round.

Here are the Valentines Sam received at school. His teachers had each child make 1 card and then exchanged. One girl made some for everyone - hers is the small valentine on a stick.

This lovely creation is from his teacher Miss Melissa and Miss Annette. They also used paper painted in watercolors which I found sweet that we had the same idea. Inside they placed the valentine from the children and a finger knitted bracelet from Miss Annette.

At the end of Sam's school day we parents had the pleasure of participating in a special Valentine Circle of songs and dances. It was all about a Kingdom on Valentines Day and at the close we learned the "key" to the kingdom is love. So, each child was given their own key to the kingdom necklace to remember the day.

Here's my Valentine for Sam using the same watercolor paper and some ribbon.

Here's one of the many Valentines from Daddy. He choose to have no words pointing out to me Sam cannot read so why have words - it's all about the love anyway.

Well, there it is Valentines, Valentines, Valentines. We all had a wonderful day filled with hugs kisses, a little chocolate and lots of love. How was your Valentines Day?

Happiness Is...

2011-02-13T09:39:00.004-06:00

Happiness is sunny sliced oranges on a winter morning followed by a hot cup of Irish Breakfast Tea, especially when said items use my favorite pottery made by my best friend :) !

What small things bring you happiness?

WIP Wednesday - A Sweater for Sam

2011-02-09T21:52:00.005-06:00

My plan was to knit this sweater vest for Sam as a Christmas present. Well, the best laid plans and then life happens. Since I choose the color red I thought it could become a Valentine's sweater vest instead. Not that I need an occasion to knit for my son, but it does give me a deadline which is a good thing. And I do like giving gifts that are something other than toys which seem to grow in number all on their own.

Here's the picture from the pattern. Simple and oh so cute!

I choose this basic bright red, Sam's favorite color at the moment, 100% merino wool by Queensland Collection called Super Aussie. The best part is it will be washable! Many people tell me to just knit in Acrylic for kids because it's so easy care, but I just can't stand the stuff. I love wool! So, finding a nice soft washable wool in a great kid bright color was a gift - Thank you Coldwater Collaborative in Excelsior, MN!

This is a little dark but the color is still pretty accurate - just a simple bright red for my red head.

I just started today (nothing like leaving it to the last minute again) and thankfully it looks to be a fast knit as I am already on the 2nd of 3 skeins of yarn. The pattern is by Knitting Pure and Simple - Basic Vest for Children #256 and I'm very pleased with how easy it is to follow. Even though I've knit many things I still feel like a novice knitter as I only have a few sweaters to my credit. Sweaters just seem to be a pinnacle for me. No matter how many socks, mittens, scarves and hats I've knit the sweater seems to mean more somehow. Do any of you feel this way?

Here's progress so far. I just love knitting in the round as it goes so quickly!

I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished product and hopefully it will be on the boy too! What's on your knitting needles as of late?

New Item for My Shop

2011-02-08T12:45:00.006-06:00

Coming up with ideas on items to create for my shop I find rather difficult. The ideas are there, but they tend to be too complicated and time consuming for making multiples. On the other hand, I do find it easy to make variations on a theme (i.e. different types of wands), but it is hard for me to come up with new ideas that are truly my own (it's so easy to be influenced by all the great creators on etsy.) Well, this new item is a variation on my crown theme and yet became its own theme too. They are flower wreaths to wear on your head much like the dried flower wreaths you see at Renaissance Fairs, except these are more indestructible and can take being thrown in a toy box. I was always sad when the flowers eventually all broke off or had gotten smashed on the flower wreaths I received as a child. So, no more of that!

Here's my red flower wreath above with matching red flower wand below. This is my favorite color combo as, like me, not all girls are into pink and purple as the department stores would have us believe.

I wanted a head piece to go with the flower wands as the crowns pair with the heart and star wands. So, I modified my crown pattern to be just a band using Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind off thus keeping the band from becoming too tight. Then I shrunk my flower pattern to a size just bigger than the band. I used the colors of the wand as my palate and sewed the flowers on with french knots which also creates a sweet flower center. Lastly, I attached ribbons in the back for a flowing look.

Here's my lavender version above and matching wand below. I did change this set a little by making the band purple instead of pink, and vice versa for the flower centers. The purple I felt was too dark and the centers needed pink to make them shine brighter. So, same colors just not the same formula as before.

I just had to include this photo. Well, I must say my son is a good sport about modeling. Doesn't he make a lovely flower boy?

I have yet to do a wreath for my pink flower wand, but it's in the works. What do you all think of the design? Will this one be a winner? I certainly hope so as I really want to expand my line of dress up items and toys. I'm thinking of doing the same style wreath with butterflies adoring it to match my butterfly wands. But, it will all depend on how the butterfly shape looks being so small. What new projects are you working on?

Corner of My Home

2011-02-07T14:31:00.004-06:00

Don't you just love it when bloggers show you corners of their homes? It's one of my favorites as other peoples homes always seem to look better than your own ( that and I'm just a snoop.) I wonder why that is? Perhaps it's because we see all that needs fixing, painting, repairing in our own spaces and not the beauty. Hmm... Well, I thought I would follow suit with the little space in my home that's my own. My son's room.

Yes, I have the room we envisioned for our son except our son does not use it. Best laid plans and all that. Instead he sleeps with his Dad as he , so far, can't/won't sleep alone. He has also moved all of his clothes etc. into the "boys" bedroom too. Since Dad snores and Sam kicks I have opted to take the Ikea bunk bed we purchased for Sam as my own. So, now I have a room of my own - small as it is. I sleep on the bottom of the bunk bed and on top is all my supplies for my Etsy shop (including shipping supplies) and my knitting projects.

Wool, wool, wool! I love all it's forms: raw fleece (in the box in the back), wool stuffing, wool felt and wool yarn. And of lots of lovely baskets to hold it all.

Here's a close up of all my supplies. My partial done sock and scarf await my hands, but first a vest for Sam for Valentines day.

This print was in my bedroom as a child and I had it re-framed for when Sam was born. I still love the look and feel and it reminds me of the engrossing French movie "The red balloon".

I tried having most of my supplies downstairs with one lovely basket upstairs filled with current projects. You know sitting besides my favorite chair charming, but uncluttered. But then it seemed I was forever running to the basement to get just 1 more thing. Having all my supplies in one place is so helpful and as I wish it was on shelves in my own art studio I am still grateful to that upper bunk which brought it all together. So, there you have it a corner of my small home. I hope you liked it. My theory is find space where you can even as unconventional as it may be because space is space.

What to do With Felt Scraps

2011-02-06T12:48:00.005-06:00

As you may imagine I have LOTS of felt scraps from making my wool felt wands. I don't like to waste or throw away anything that has a possible use left. This value leads to a house full of stuff unless I can find a use for me or give it away to someone else to use. So, far I've made smaller items like my new head wreath band, composted some (as it's all natural it can decompose, but this takes awhile), saved the tiny tiny shreds to stuff a pillow and lastly given some to my son to play with. This last one is the one I want to talk about.

Here's Sam's array of color felt scraps for threading.

My son is forever wanting to sew or knit like his mama, but as he's only 4 so it takes some thinking on my part on what he is able to make. Of course because he's 4 he doesn't want help and the project needs to make "something" (gone are the days of just stitching through fabric in an embroidery hoop - sigh.) I picked up this project from my friend Teresa, who is an early childhood teacher, of making necklaces out of small felt pieces and wooden beads. It's so simple but will keep Sam occupied for at least 15 - 30 minutes, and for a busy active boy this is a LOT of alone time. I just threaded a tapestry needle for him with thick cotton floss tying a big knot on the end and he just starts threading away. Because the felt is thin it takes some time to make a full necklace that will fit over your head. The wooden beads help speed things along if your little one gets frustrated.

Sam ever so carefully threading the felt into a long strand.

I had to add this last shot as Sam took the photo himself. I really like the angle.

Do you have any other suggestions for felt scraps? I'm always looking for ideas on how to use left over yarn, fabric and felt so please send me your ideas!

A Time for Plastic

2011-02-05T09:29:00.005-06:00

I have a objections to plastic toys as a rule. Even my son Sam will spout off to anyone that "Mama doesn't like plastic" (especially to his grandparents who offer to purchase plastic toys for him). But we do make one exception to my rule - Duplo Legos. My mother gave us an old set of Duplos that was left over from when she did childcare back in the early nineties. Because they are so old they are just simple blocks with no "specialty" pieces that only build 1 thing. It seems like most of the new sets have either pictures on the blocks or they only make a car or spaceship etc. The Duplos come out every winter when all of his other toys begin to feel too old hat and the building begins! I mean building, building, building! He and his Dad love to build all sorts of spaceships, vehicles and houses. Here are just a few:

Sam and the great tower that was chopped in half by a swift kick.

The set comes with these cute little people. Of course my red headed boy chose the red haired Duplo person.

This is the biggest spaceship to date. Can you see Dad's Star Wars influence?

I'm partial to this one with the ladder in back. Kind of a cross between spaceship and fire truck.

As you can see much fun and creativity abounds. So, who can complain that they're plastic? Well, for once not me :) ! What kind of toys do you bring out as the winter months begin to get longer and longer?

Candlemas (a few days late)

2011-02-04T14:41:00.004-06:00

We're just in our 2nd year of Waldorf Preschool with our son Samion and I'm trying hard to bring the Festival life he experiences in school home. So, Candlemas was this week and he made a lovely rolled beeswax candle in school and sang songs about light. My intention was to make candles at home that same day, but alas it did not come to fruition. Today is usually Sam's day with his Poppa while I work on my wands and crowns for Etsy. But since Poppa is currently out of town I had Sam today and candle making was on our agenda.

Sam by the backdoor chipped away at the ice made from the ice dams melting on our roof.

We started cutting the wicks by having Sam cut while I held the wick. Then we watched the wax melt on the stove top. I purchased little votive glass jars as we did not have enough beeswax to dip for tapers (frankly that process is still too slow for Samion.) After making a few of these glass votives we decided to try making snow candles which I read about on In These Hills blog. We made a hole in a snowbank in the backyard, suspended a wick from a pencil above it and poured in the wax. These came out as fun little blobs which we will try to float in a bowl of water as a centerpiece.

Here's the snow candle cooling

Sam holding up the now cooled snow candle blob.

A fun closeup of the organic nature of snow candles.

Our bounty of the day along with Samion's rolled taper from school.

I hope you all enjoyed Candlemas and had the time to make candles with your little one. The best part is your whole house gets to smell like sweet honey - YUM!

A Night at the Studio

2011-02-03T21:53:00.006-06:00

My longtime friend Emily is a ceramic artist and has a studio in the Northrup King Building (a wonderful old seed company building turned into artist studios) in NE Minneapolis. It's kind of like the indoor "mall" of art.

I work for her a couple days a week making trays and plates out of slabs, ornaments, staining, underglazing etc. It's really the only time I get to see her as she's a busy mama with a 4 month old and a 4 year old who tries to work on her art full time. So, her building puts on a monthly evening called 1st Thursdays where on the 1st Thursday of every month the artists open their studios for the public to see and buy their art.

Here's one of Emily's limited edition tiles for this Valentine's Day

She had me as a guest artist this Thursday to sell my Valentine related wands and crowns. I was really happy to have another venue in which to sell my work. Two sisters, 2 and 7 years old, went home with a wand and a crown each. They walked all around the studio posing and saying "Ta Da". It was amazingly cute. I didn't sell any more than that, but had a good time hanging out with Emily and watching the wide array of people come through. She's going to let me come back for another event in May called Art - A - Whirl which lasts three days. I curious what my sales for that event might be as it is really an art crawl and well, I make toys. We'll just have to wait and see I guess. I hope you all had a fun 1st Thursday of February too!

Fun Etsy Treasury

2011-02-02T18:17:00.006-06:00

It's a little silly to blog about a treasury on Etsy as they only last a few days, but this one I found especially cute (I'm in it too!) So, here it is Valentine's Day the treasury. If you search on Etsy for Waldorf related toys you'll notice quite a few regulars in this one.

This cute teething ring with knitted heart is from thiscosylife.

Here's a Valentine holding Gnome from mamaroots.

A sweet and simply puzzle from justhatched.

Lastly, a crown from me adolina.

So, if you're looking for something a little different for Valentine's Day please visit these sellers etsy shops. They all focus on all natural simple toys. Aren't those the best kind?

Wonderment is Closing

2011-02-02T12:26:00.005-06:00

This morning I was checking my email per my usual start to the day and received a sad notice that our local Waldorf toy store Wonderment is closing their doors. They had expanded to two stores right before the economy tanked and their sales began to dwindle. Having hung on in hopes of a recovery these last few years they came to the realization that their stores were no longer sustainable. It saddens me deeply that this lovely resource will not be available to the community any longer.

For they were a resource for toys, crafts, classes and even outreach efforts. It was the one place I could take my son and say you may pick out anything you like. As all the toys were free of batteries, natural and open ended I was always happy with the choices he made. The times seem to be hardest on these brick and mortar stores. And now I too will have to turn to the internet to find the toys I desire for my child's growth and development. This seems to be the future of selling more and more these days. Etsy is still my main source of sales for my own toys even with doing craft and school fairs. I will miss the coming together of like minded families and the opportunity to touch and feel such soul filled toys. It was the place in which I made my son's Waldorf Doll, sold my wands and crowns, and found community. I will miss it greatly.

Crowns, Crowns, Crowns and More Crowns

2011-01-31T18:05:00.005-06:00

I've been thinking about Valentine's Day items for my Etsy Shop and I'm busily at work. Making crowns, crowns, crowns (it was wands, wands, wands, but I needed a break.) These crowns really sell well at Wonderment, the shop I wholesale to in Minneapolis, but not so well online. How do you get across the tactile feel of knitted wool over the internet? How they fit so comfortably and fit such a wide variety of ages etc. My photos are pretty basic and I "try" to have my son Sam model for me, but they always look a bit goofy. I've decided to try a professional photographer my ceramist friend Emily uses for photographing her work.

Sam looking goofy in crown or sterile crown all by it's lonesome - you decide.

The prospect of professional photos is exciting, but a little daunting since I don't really know how to describe what I want. My son will be modeling the "boy" crowns and my niece the "girl" crowns and hopefully some new garland wreaths I'm presently working on. Sarah, the photographer, suggested to find white tops that would be a appropriate styles for crowns as they might show in the photos. Well, let me tell you that idea was a fun one to pursue. I began at Etsy of course (I took the handmade pledge after all) and found this pirate shirt for Sam and this peasant top for Anya. They'll will look so cute, especially if they follow Sarah's directions (cross your fingers for me.)

It's funny but I felt a little out of place asking a photographer to take photos of my crowns and wands as they are only toys after all. Strange how you can downplay yourself so easily. I have my MFA in Metal Arts from years ago and I don't feel that's the road for me anymore, but it still seems like it's more important than making toys. Yet, I LOVE making toys. I wonder when I'll let the old image go of Art being more important than Craft. Hmm...I didn't think I'd wax so philosophical at the start of writing this post I wonder what happened.

Silk Ribbon Debate

2011-01-18T10:59:00.005-06:00

So, I was chatting with my husband yesterday while stitching up an order of magic wands about ribbon. He was mentioning that if I'm going to the trouble to use all plant dyed wool yarn and felt and natural wool roving that it seems a shame to then add polyester ribbon. I had to agree, but silk ribbon just seemed too extravagant not to mention expensive.

Well, like all modern day people I let my fingers do the walking over the internet in search of some answers. It turns out that yes, silk ribbon is more expensive but not prohibitively so and it does come in almost all the colors I currently use and in the same width. Now, I find myself debating whether or not I should purchase some and if I should use it on all my wands, just a few of my most popular or have 2 different lines one all natural with silk ribbon and one almost all natural with polyester ribbon. Off hand, I would say I'd have to raise my costs by about a dollar a wand. Do you think it would be worth it to people to have a completely natural toy magic wand? I love the idea, but wonder if the added expensive would turn people off. If you could voice in your opinion I would sure appreciate it!

END OF YEAR CLEARANCE SALE

2010-12-26T11:36:00.002-06:00

END OF YEAR CLEARANCE SALE in my Etsy Shop - Just enter coupon code YEAREND2010 upon checking out for a 15% savings. This is an additional savings on top of the already reduced Holiday Sale items. Help me clear out the old and get ready for the new year!

Cyber Monday SALE!

2010-11-29T08:19:00.003-06:00

Well, thank you all who took advantage of my Thanksgiving Weekend Sale! It was very successful. So much so that I decided to have another sale for today only as it's Cyber Monday. Pick up some great deals on selected gnomes, cats, crowns and even a few wands. All items can be found in the CYBER MONDAY SALE section in my etsy shop and are marked down by $2.00 each.

Thanks again for all the support which keeps my little shop running. It may be a small business but it means so much to me to be able to contribute to my family's well being. Have a lovely week everyone!

SALE at Simply Playing

2010-11-26T08:09:00.004-06:00

Hello All! I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. To celebrate and share I decided to have a sale in my etsy shop Simply Playing. Etsy is now offering coupon codes for shop owners as a way to promote a sale. This way you get your discount right away instead of as a refund through Paypal.

My coupon code is simply "Thanksgiving2010" for a 10% discount on everything in my store! So, if there has been something you've been eyeing now is the time to buy! Enjoy this shopping weekend everyone!

Finding Balance

2010-11-13T06:52:00.003-06:00

Like most mamas I have many roles that I play: I'm a mama, wife, daughter, homemaker, toymaker, artist assistant and school volunteer. Whoa, what a mouthful! Lately, I've been having trouble balancing all these identities. With the holiday season coming quickly upon us the toymaker in me has been taking over rushing to get more magic wands and crowns made. What I've noticed recently is I let all my other roles fall by the wayside trying to accomplish just this one task. Putting housekeeping aside, letting my mother (who lives with us) cook the meals, passing by my husband in the evening as we try to get stuff done, telling my son I'm too busy to play etc. This last one I acutely felt as Sam said the other day "Why don't you play with me Mama?' - ouch!

Sam is and will be our only biological child. We're hoping to adopt, but with the bills left over from our infertility treatments that's on hold. We worked so hard to have this wonderful child and I'm telling him I don't have time to play because I'm making toys for other people's children. Hmm...doesn't sound quite right. So, I took a step back and reevaluated all the things I do which make me me. The one I'm most proud of is being a mother. I'm sure this is true for many of you as well. It was literally the hardest thing I've ever accomplished, but I need to remember it's ongoing and didn't just end with the birth. Sam doesn't require 100% of my attention 100% of the time to be a good mama to him, but maybe a little more would be a good idea.

So, I sat down with pen and paper to draw up a plan/schedule for myself. There simply was not enough hours in the day to do everything to the extent I would like to do them. So, I dropped out of one of the Waldorf School Holiday Fairs I was going to sell my work at and decided just keeping up with etsy, at least for this year, would be enough for the toymaker in me, I talked to my mother about splitting the meal preparation so as not to take advantage of her help. Trying to spend more time in the evening talking to my husband, not just focusing on what I can get done in that quiet time when Sam is asleep. Keeping my volunteer and assistant work within the time frame I've allowed for them as both could easily take as much time as I could give them. I even decided that a little mess in the house is o.k., but daily, not weekly, management is needed.

Sounds so easy on paper, but it's still a struggle. I'm glad Sam awakened me to my tendency to go overboard in one direction. Like in meditation, it's that constant reminder to come back to center that's important, not just being in the center, because life happens. What do you do to keep yourself balanced in your life?

Yarn Along and Handmade Holidays

2010-11-04T08:56:00.007-05:00

I found out about this Yarn Along from Tonya over at Plain and Joyful Living, but it originates from Ginny of the blog, Small Things. It's a simple picture to share the books we are currently reading and what is on your needles. These are both pursuits that I enjoy especially knitting during this dark colder time of year here in the Upper Midwest.

I'm currently, or I should say still, knitting a striped scarf for my husband for Christmas (hence this also being my Handmade Holiday post). It was supposed to be his gift last year, but seed stitch seems to take me an inordinately long time to knit. My husband does not like wool as he says "It's itchy!" so this scarf is a test of the supposedly non-itchy merino wool. The owner of Linden Hills Yarn and Textile Design LTD remarked when I told her of my dilemma that what my husband is reacting to are the "barr" hairs (the hairs that make the wool fuzzy) that exist in most wools. So, she recommended the Karabella brand's merino wool, and I have to say it is certainly soft! Dan and I choose colors we both like so if the scarf does not work out for him it will then pass on to me. I'm hoping it doesn't itch and he loves it as I plan to secretly make him some fingerless mitts to match as well.

Reading time is something that is hard for me to find time for, hence I have been "reading" this book for quite awhile and I'm still only 30 pages into it. The book is Homemaking as a Social Art - Creating a Home for Body Soul and Spirit by Veronika Van Duin. It talks a lot about rhythm, relationships, artistic environment, caring, self development and more. The Spiritual side of this book is taken in most part from Rudolph Steiner's work, which is how I stumbled across it at our Waldorf School.

I'm hoping to have both finished this book and scarf by Christmas. I just need to eek out some time here and there. How and when do you find time to read?

My Dragon and Halloween

2010-11-01T08:50:00.008-05:00

Here's my little red dragon getting ready for the Halloween Walk his Waldorf School hosts every year.

The Halloween Walk or "Friends in the Forest" is a Spring Hill Waldorf School holiday tradition. It's a lovely magical walk through the Baker Park Reserve woods here in Minnesota. The path is lit only by jack - o - lanterns and candles which the kids and families of the school carve. Along the way he met many characters starting with Mother Nature who talked about safety in the woods as her pixies and sprites can leave rocks, roots and sticks in the paths. Next, was Mother Goose sitting by a fire needing help with her rhymes. The kids really loved shouting out the answers to the familiar stories. Then we saw a play about two sister rivers needing each other to have the strength to flow into the sea done by the 4th and 5th graders. Next, was another short play about the North Wind and the Sun. We learned that gentle persuasion is better than force as they both tried to get a traveler to take off his cloak and sit a spell. A shadow puppet theater was next along the path in one of the little cabins sprinkled throughout the woods. Two wonderful mothers put on the story of the Sun Egg by Elsa Beskow and gave the kids a cookie as they left to discover who else they might meet in the woods. This next play confused Sam a bit as it was Jacqueline and the Bean Stalk and not Jack and the Bean Stalk. Why this switch in genders? Well, the eighth grade class is made up of all girls and only 1 boy who wanted to play the chicken who laid the golden eggs. What happened to the goose - I don't know.

As we continued on our walk we ran into a very confused Scarecrow who didn't know which way we should go and told us a story about fire safety as he was scared of fire his being stuffed with dried leaves and all. We then saw a play about 2 stars rescuing the sun prince who had been turned into a dragon and another play with King Arthur and Merlin the Magician both set off by fire light. Next, it was inside again to another cabin for a puppet show of a Native American story about how strawberries came to be told with beautiful Waldorf needled felted table puppets. Lastly, we came to Mother Earth as she was weaving her blanket to keep all her children warm over the winter months. Two stars came out to sing to us and they passed out wooden necklaces to the children, with a moon and a star burned into them, to remember their magical night walking in the woods.

We then went back to the main lodge where our walk began to enjoy some friendship, hot cider and popcorn. Sam wanted to go on the walk all over again, but as it was already way past his bedtime we had to say no to his sweet request. What amazes me most about this Halloween walk is how the children are completely drawn into the plays and puppet shows even though some of the material is in language they are not familiar with. They just soak in the atmosphere and enjoy running to the next production. Sam also enjoyed finding the pumpkins we had carved along the way pointing them out with pride to his friends.

I really feel The Friends in the Forest walk was the best way to experience the holiday in an imaginative, non scary way, which is just perfect for little ones. What events do you go with your children to celebrate Halloween? Although, it wouldn't be Halloween without a bit of neighborhood trick - o - treating. Sam and Dan went out for about an hour teaming up with some other kids, or "new friends" as Sam says, along they way. He was very excited about how much candy he received, but was even more excited about the Halloween Fairy who exchanges a gift for all that candy. Of course Sam kept a few pieces to enjoy, but tonight we will leave out the rest of his candy stash by the back door for the Halloween Fairy. I wonder what she will bring?

Review and Giveaway

2010-10-30T07:51:00.003-05:00

I was approached by Laura who writes the New Age Mama blog about having a review of the toys in my etsy shop Simply Playing. Laura reviews all sorts of products and usually hosts a giveaway along with the review. I sent her out a heart wand, knitted play crown and a gnome doll for her young daughter to try out. Thankfully, she really liked all of them, especially the gnome (because really who doesn't like gnomes?) and wrote up a lovely review. The good news for you is she is hosting a giveaway for one of my Golden Star Rainbow Magic Wands! Just visit this link to her blog and find out the many ways you can enter to win. Good luck to you all!

A Time For Puzzles

2010-10-30T06:15:00.006-05:00

The days are getting pretty dark here in the upper Midwest. Not much light to play outside after dinner, so what to do? It's the time to bring out the puzzles! Sam has really gotten into working on puzzles - even by himself! If you have an only child you know how rare the "Mama come play with me." broken record turns off. Don't get me wrong, I love playing with my son, but it's such a pleasure to watch him get COMPLETELY engrossed in play.

We have two different kinds of puzzles - wooden and paperboard. The wooden ones are beautifully made by the people living at Community Homestead in Osceola, Wisconsin. Community Homestead is a non-profit rural community living and working with people with special needs. They sell there wares at Sam's Waldorf School's Holiday Fair in winter and May Fair in the Spring. The puzzles are painted with watercolor so the wood's grain shines through the color. I find them just breathtaking! Here are the two Sam has so far.

This one with the fairy in the boat I usually pair with reading Elsa Beskow's book Peter in Blueberry Land. As Peter takes a ride in a boat that uses a leaf for a sail with the Blueberry King's sons.

Sam received this puzzle for his birthday after we stayed a weekend at Farmer's Inn in Viroqua, Wisconsin. I find it fun to have memories tied into the toys Sam plays with as it makes them have more of an alive quality.

Then of course there are the paperboard puzzles form Ravensburger. While not nearly as atheistically pleasing as the wooden ones, they are of very good quality and available in many different difficulty levels to match to your child's ability.

Here is Sam at his "desk" putting together his 60 piece Ravensburger dinosaur puzzle. He's learning about doing the edges first and then filling in the middle. Although, sometimes he just likes starting with the T. Rex (his favorite dinosaur.)

It really is fun seeing his mind work to figure out what piece goes where. And best of all, it's a great quiet activity before bedtime, which for us makes the transition all the more easy. What puzzles do your kids play with?

The Many Moods of Sam

2010-10-24T19:50:00.003-05:00

As many of you know Sam is my 4 year old son; my one and only. He is who I started making toys for until there were just too many gnomes in the house (it's still a contention in our house if there can EVER be too many gnomes.) Then I started making toys for the rest of the world by selling them in my etsy store Simply Playing. One of the items I carry is knitted play crowns, and I've tried using Sam as a model for these crowns. This is not an uncommon practice, using your our child as a model, but I feel I don't quite get the results others do. Simply put, Sam does not want to be a model. I have to bribe him with a little screen time of Thomas the Tank Engine (not very Waldorf of me I know.) So, our photo shoots are a very quick affair with lots of direction and not a lot of listening. But, I feel it's important to give the buyer an idea of how the crown looks on a child, not just laying flat on my counter. What I'm wondering is should I use his photo for my main picture (this is the only picture that is shown to the viewer on etsy until they select that item and see the other detail photos) or should I use the flat crown photo? Here are a few pictures showing the many moods of Sam to give you an idea of what I'm working with:

Are they endearing to others and not just his Mama, or do they just look unprofessional? Her's the flat only crown photo for comparison:

Which photo would draw more people in to look further? I've tried posting a mix of the two types of photos, but I can't tell the difference. Let me know what you think.

Peace Wand

2010-10-22T09:09:00.004-05:00

I had a special order request this week at my etsy shop. She wanted a peace sign wand in colors to match her daughter's Halloween costume. How could I refuse such a fun project!

Here's a few pictures on how it turned out.

Overall, I'm very pleased and now just have to wait to find out what whether my customer approves. I'd like to try making more peace wands but in green and yellow felt with blue stitching. What do you all think? Should I carry these as a regular item?

Wonderment

2010-10-20T17:15:00.008-05:00

Wonderment is our local natural toy store. It resides in the Linden Hills neighborhood of South Minneapolis. Imaginative toys are stocked there in abundance: Ostheimer wooden animals, marble runs, natural wood dollhouses and simply lovable Waldorf Dolls. They even have a dress up section now complete with my felt wands and knitted crowns. Yes, I've gone wholesale!

I met one of the owners at my son's Waldorf School's May Fair Celebration. Lisa was one of the vendors selling her lovely wares - mainly wooden swords and crossbows to the 2nd grade boys who were ready for action! I occupied the table next to her selling my plant dyed wool felt wands, knitted crowns, gnomes and cats. We got to talking during the lulls and she said she'd love to have my wands and crowns in her store. Needless to say I was thrilled!

So, now you can find my handmade items in my etsy store, or at Wonderment if you happen to be in the Minneapolis area.

I'm Back

2010-10-18T11:48:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone! Sorry to have been absent for such a long period of time. My life with my family took over as it is wont to do, but I'm back and gearing up for the holidays by making lots and lots of wands.

I've kept to the same shapes, but have started adding new color combinations to hopefully have something for everyone. Making wands is such fun for me. I love pretty much every part - from trying to get as much cut out from a piece of felt as I possibly can, to wrapping the dowels with yarn, sewing all the pieces together and finally stuffing and gluing the shape on top. My son already has 2 so my only option after I gave one to every child I knew was to sell them. This is my first Holiday Season having them listed in my etsy shop and I'm excited to see how they sell. Here's a few pictures of my latest creations:

I'm also thinking of making a red and yellow star as well as my yellow and blue one. I did try a clover shape this last spring, but it really didn't sell well so I decided to discontinue that style. If you have any suggestions on something you'd like to see in a wand please let me know!

Knitting Doll Clothes

2010-06-20T22:35:00.004-05:00

What is the best thing about having a new waldorf doll? Making clothes for him of course! Yes, with the completion of my Waldorf doll kit from Weir Doll and Crafts I had a nice new albeit naked doll. This kit came with patterns for making clothes, but alas I am unable to find it in the pile on my desk. Did I let this deter me? Did I take them time to sort through this pile of detritus? No, I simply made up a toe up sock pattern of sorts with some fingering weight yarn I had on hand.

They are a bit on the pointy side, but cute!

These socks fit just perfectly and with this success under my belt I wanted to knit more. So, I jumped unto the internet to Raverly and looked up free doll clothing patterns. Waldorf Mama has a great cardigan pattern for free on her blog, but it was for worsted weight yarn. Then I found this cardigan pattern made for the lovely Bamboletta Dolls from Pixie for Purls that I could use the same fingering weight yarn I used for the socks. I omitted the button as Sam is not too dexterous at using them yet, and I didn't want him to become frustrated and then mad at his doll. The sweater took a little longer than I thought, but with size 2 needles what did I expect?

Here's Lamby in his whole ensemble.

I still had lots of yarn left over so I created a hat as well again making it up as I went along. Starting with size 2 double pointed needles I cast on 80 stitches and knit in the round. I began with the same rib pattern as used on the cardigan then just good old garter stitch the rest of the way. I decreased ten stitches every so often (didn't keep too good of track to write out specifically) just checking the fit periodically until I had 10 stitches. Then I decreased to 5 stitches and knit for a number of rows to make the knot on top. I wish I would have knit for longer before my first decrease, but otherwise I like the elfin look it gives Lamby.

You can see how the hat decreases a bit to rapidly in this side shot. I love the knot!

Now, I just need to dig up those patterns to make pants and a shirt. I found a fun remnant of fabric at this really funky fabric store in NE Minneapolis that I am excited to use. The fabric is a cream background with red, green, blue, and yellow diamonds arranged in a pattern like you might see on a Harlequin costume. I just need to find the time to sort out that massive pile of stuff...

Waldorf Dolls

2010-06-13T18:58:00.004-05:00

Wonderment is a fabulous toy store in Minneapolis that caters to the Waldorf family. They often have classes on making toys too and by far their most popular is making Waldorf Dolls. After struggling with a kit, taking a class that was canceled half way through I decided to try this class. It was wonderful and as the store owner predicted very empowering. Eight women sat down at 10:00 am on a rainy Saturday morning knowing zilch to ending at 4:00 pm that same day with a finished 16" Waldorf Doll. It was so amazing the transformation of cloth, wool and thread to this little person with a personality all his own. I made mine in the image of my child with auburn hair and hazel eyes. I purchased an outfit from the instructor to get him ready to give to my son Sam who was, with Daddy, picking me up (life with one car can be tricky) at the end of the class.

The class doll is in clothes and the kit doll just has a hat so far.

I was tired and in a bit of a daze as 4:00 pm hit and I heard a little voice behind me say "Mama?" I turned to Sam and showed him his new doll which he immediately hugged and said "I love him." Wow! I was so pleased my hard work and effort elicited this response - what more could you ask for?

With my new knowledge under my belt, as well as those few extra pounds (where do they come from ? Certainly not chocolate!), I decided to tackle my half made doll kit. So, today I made my second doll. He too is a boy but with blue eyes, Sam's request, and red hair - no clothes yet. What a wonderful feeling to know I could make this doll on my own! An old half completed project now finished and useful - hurray!

Getting the eyes right was so much trickier than I thought, but I'm pleased with the end result.

Sam is loving them with that special boy love of hugs one moment and wacking him on furniture the next. I hope they hold up to such affection. He named them Sheepy and Lamby. Kind of fitting when you think of all the wool used to make them yes? I'm off to make them socks now - wish me luck!

Gnome Pouches and a Personal Note

2010-06-09T15:41:00.006-05:00

This idea came to me watching my son Sam's Waldorf Kindergarten class. The children in the class are given a "little one", a small doll, from their teacher when they turn 5. The children then get to sew a bag to carry their "little one" around their neck. This way their doll can go on adventures with them and be close to their heart. It really is the sweetest thing to see both boys and girls playing with these doll; although the boys vehemently say they are not dolls but little ones.

So, here is my version for carrying - what else but - a gnome! The pouches are made out of plant dyed wool felt from fellow etsian mamajudes same as my wands. The bag portion measures aproximately 3 1/2 inches x 5 inches and the chain is 17" long. Sam tried them on for me but I haven't gotten him to hold still for a picture, but they sit at chest level with the gnomes hat coming almost to his chin. I decorated them with a rainbow so that no matter what gnome you choose it will match, and frankly can anyone have too many rainbows? Of course then I had to use my lovely bulky rainbow yarn to finger knot a chain for the bag. Sam is so eager to finger knit, knit and sew it's hard for me to keep telling him soon you'll learn this in Kindergarten, as he really isn't ready yet. He is just such a boy of action he wants to do, do, do not just watch. I think of these bags for gnomes, but they could be used for other dolls, or treasures, or maybe even secret messages!

On a personal note our In Vitro Fertilization or IVF prodcedure was not a success. I'm coming to terms with the fact I won't be pregnant again, but it was hard for Sam. He really wanted me to be pregnant and to watch the birth (he loves to hear the story of his birth - sliding out of mama into the water.) We'll now focus on adopting from the Philippines (my husband Dan is 1/2 Phillipino himself.) I find myself hoping to adopt siblings so Sam can have the brother and sister he wants to complete our family. Looking towards the future is good right now.

Fairies

2010-06-06T09:16:00.005-05:00

Gnomes have been my focus in my etsy store for some time now. This past January I added wands and crowns for some more variety of imaginative toys. But, still something was missing. I've always wanted a counterpart for the gnomes - elves seemed too similar, mermaids too different and fairies too delicate for knitting. Then Mamajudes on etsy had a sampler of plant dyed doll hair yarns (mohair and boucles) for sale and I thought maybe I could give fairies a try.

Here are my first attempts

I used the braid around their head to help keep their hair sewn down.

In these first attempts I used the body from my standing gnome to start. Then sewed on hair instead of a hat and felt wings in place of a knitted cape. I gave them symbols on their chests to give them an identity and to balance the color and texture of the wings. So, there is a love fairy, sun fairy and a good luck fairy (you'll notice they are similar to my wands.)

Here is the "love" fairy, but she could also be a bleeding heart flower fairy.

You'll notice here that I sewed felt to the bottom to completely enclose
the fairy and making it more child safe.

I'd love to hear comments from all of you on how successful these fairies turned out and any improvements or changes I might make. Once an idea occurs to me I find it hard to see other possibilities that's why your comments really help me in refining a toy.

I'm Back

2010-05-26T16:16:00.006-05:00

Well, it's been a bit of a long absence for me in the blogger world, but now I'm back. I spent most of May doing 1 of the following 2 things: planning for Sam's School's May Fair and undergoing IVF treatments and holistic support therapies for having another child. Needless to say life has been a bit stressful.

First off May Fair. I was in charge of getting vendors to sell their wares at the event; finding artists and people who reflex the Waldorf School Philosophy. Here are a couple of my favorites. Community Homestead - a community of people who make beautiful watercolored wooden puzzles as well as all the tables, chairs and desks in our school, Wonderment - a local shop with all sorts of Waldorf inspired toys (bow and arrow sets were a big seller for her with the second grade boys), Universal Pants - is a woman who makes these fabulous pants that are cut on the bias and look good on everybody! And lastly me! Yes, Simply Playing made an appearance selling my knitted cats, gnomes and crowns as well as felted wands and rainbow window stars.

Here's my "booth" on a table in the early childhood classroom.

The day didn't go as planned. It was to be as an outdoor event, but we had a dilly of a thunder storm come through. So, just about the time everyone was set up we had to move everything inside. The vendors set up in the classrooms while the food and crafts were in the Social Hall. It was all a jumble, but cozy, and everyone rolled with it very well. The sad part was there was no May Pole Dancing at May Fair, but we did have a queen, the green man, pocket people and many fairies flitting about the school. The day was truly festive and a coming together of community. For us it was a family affair as well with my selling crafts, my mother giving fairy card readings, my dad being a pocket person and Dan helping out with all the vendors setting up and breaking down. Sam was left to his own devices from time to time, but the community held him well which was wonderful to experience.

Gnomes anyone?

As much fun as May Fair was with pony rides, tug of wars, raw food, baked treats, crafts, jump rope making and shopping, I'm glad all the work has come to a close. It's our last big festival of the school year as next week will be the closing and graduation ceremonies for Spring Hill Waldorf School. What a joyful way to begin summer!

Back to my 2nd distraction for the month of May - IVF (in-vitro fertilization.) My husband and I went through IVF many years ago to have our son Sam who is now almost 4. Sam did not want to be an only child and I loved being pregnant so we thought we'd try another round and see if we could be successful again. We're in the waiting period of watching the embryos develop before they are transferred back into me. I'm completely excited and wanting to fast forward another 2 weeks. But, at least I am now done with Mayan abdominal massages, acupuncture and 4 shots a day of follicle medication. I'll keep up the wheatgrass and green drinks through the pregnancy and the 1 shot of progesterone goes through the 10th week. This is probably way more than any of you want to know but it's so all encompassing right now I feel the need to talk about it. Wish us luck and you'll be hearing about the pregnancy soon!

Juxtapositions

2010-04-11T08:32:00.006-05:00

I took two photos in this last week and their similarities really threw me.
Take a look for yourself.

A lovely tulip growing in my front garden

Sam's new shoes which he picked out all by himself.

Well, that's all I have for you today. Make it a great one for you and others!

It Was A Happy Easter

2010-04-05T09:38:00.006-05:00

We hosted Easter this year at our small house in Hopkins. I was wondering how to fit my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Cousin's Wife, Cousin's Kids, Brother, Sister-in-Law, Niece, Mother, Husband and Son into our little living and dining room. The weather gave me the solution. As it was 65 degrees and sunny we hosted outside! It was truly a gift as MN often will still have snow this time of year.

Sam, Anya, Chase and Mia (hidden behind Chase) playing in the playhouse.

Mia playing so sweetly in the sandbox

My mother's planting table became the buffet, lawn chairs plus 2 folding chairs gave the adults places to sit and the combination of Sam's picnic table and his inside table and chairs gave spots for all the kids to eat. What was the best was that the kids were happy the whole time. They started out with an Easter egg hunt, then played in the sandbox, on bikes and cars, in the playhouse, on the tire swing and lastly the BIGGEST hit of the day (have you guessed it yet?) ...drum roll please...BUBBLES. What is it with kids and bubbles? The wind practically made the bubbles for them which delighted young Chase who is only 2. They must have blown bubbles for over an hour having my mom refill their bubble trays with "bubble juice."

The bubble hour of fun!

Anya blowing bubbles on my purple scillia.

The food was fresh and oh so delicious! The ham was a nitrate/nitrite free Beeler's Ham, lovely bright veggies consisting of green beans, sugar snap peas, carrots and red peppers, sweet potatoes with pecans, a salad with avocado, onions and strawberries, fresh fruit and rolls. With cheesecake from Trader Joe's and cupcakes from my kitchen for dessert. Everyone left sated and happy with doggie bags (don't you just love getting leftovers from a holiday feast?)

I have to say it was one of my all time favorite Easters even including the get Easter where my Dad wrote poems as clues for us to find our Easter goodies that were hidden all over the neighborhood at an early 6:00 a.m. I think it was the kids who made it so great for me. Watching their joy at finding eggs and their laughter when playing with one another. Kids really make a holiday a holiday don't you think? How was your Easter?

Signs of Spring

2010-03-28T08:55:00.006-05:00

A few signs of spring are poking up in our garden. It's so exciting to see new growth after the long winter of bare branches and piles of snow (I do like winter, but it does go on rather long here.) My mother, a gardener by trade and hobby, is so excited to get into the yard and start digging - something - anything!

purple Scillia flowers just about to bloom

This is a bulb garden I received in a pot last spring which I replanted whole and I'm excited to see how it blooms this year

We have a large prairie garden out front and a shade and vegetable gardens in back so it's a lot to care for by myself. But since my mother moved in with us late in 2008 it's been a pleasure to have someone else to work besides in the garden. Dan just doesn't have the time with a job and his own business to run on the side. We usually just ask him to do a big job here and there. For instance this year we need lots and lots of mulch for the whole yard which means many trips to the city public works for free mulch.

Virginia Bluebell leaves just starting to poke through the soil

We have lots of cutting back of old growth to do out front as well as a hedge of hydrangeas. The shade garden just needs to be raked and the vegetable garden soil needs to be turned and prepped for planting. Sam likes working in the vegetable garden the best, digging in the dirt and planting seeds. Last fall he planted lots of wheatgrass that we need to now turn over or dig out.

Tete-a-Tete Miniature daffodils giving off just a hint of color

Today is sunny so I'm hoping to get lots done before we have to go to a family birthday gathering. Sam's hankering for a walk to I'll have to end here. I hope you all have a great day and are thinking of gardening too!

Flower Wand Third and Final Design

2010-03-27T14:09:00.005-05:00

Thanks to all of you who left comments for my flower wands. With your help I've come up with a third and I think final version. I made the shape more regular, cut a smaller center and made that center have two layers. The result you can see below.

I'm currently out of pink felt so I used orange instead, but the following flower wands will be pink with maybe a purple one here and there to keep it interesting. Now I just have to make lots and lots for the May Faire at Sam's Waldorf School. What else can say May in Minnesota but flowers finally waking up. Thank you Root Children!

Sam's BIG Adventure #2

2010-03-25T22:25:00.003-05:00

This happened a few weeks back, but I'm only now getting to writing about it. Sam's first adventure as you might recall was a trip into Uptown Minneapolis on a city bus. The day went so well and we had such fun that we decided we needed to repeat it, but this time on a train.

The beautiful new light rail train

Minneapolis is behind most major cities by not having an extensive train/subway system. Instead we have 1 light rail line that runs from downtown to the Mall of America (my least favorite place to go.) So, we drove to the enormous Mall of America Saturday morning; parked our car and took the train to downtown Minneapolis. Sam was vibrating with excitement and could hardly wait to get a seat. Not too many people were going our way, but we made all the stops just the same. Going over the bridge that crosses the freeway was of great interest, as well as passing the Metrodome where the Minnesota Vikings football team plays (Sam was ready to drop everything and play some football!)

Dan purchasing our tickets - Sam was free!

Sam choosing his window seat

We disembarked on Nicolett Mall and as the day was cold hit the Skyway system. Because of our cold winters a series of enclosed corridors that connect the downtown buildings one level above the street were developed to keep us out of the inclement weather. Sam was not as impressed with this as I thought. I was so enamored with the Skyway when I was a kid that I had plans to build my own starting in my bedroom cutting through the garage to the backyard where I'd have my very own playhouse. Ahh, those were fun daydreams. The Minneapolis rock band The Replacements even wrote a song called Skyway back in the 80's. So, needless to say I expected more from Sam than his non interest in the cars driving beneath us.

Dan and Sam looking out at the cars below in the skyway. Note the blase look on Sam's face.

After quite a long time of running through the Skyways we started looking for somewhere to eat. Not knowing downtown very well we ended up at Applebees a chain restaurant where we knew there was something that Sam, our picky eater, would eat. Not as glamorous as the Independent in Uptown with it's pool table and darts; maybe next time.

Mom and a squirrely Sam on the return trip

After we were all sated and sleepy we took the train back to the Mall. This trip was much busier with many more passengers - lots of good people watching to do while I knitted. Sam was a bit impatient and ready to go home as the newness of the adventure wore off. We said goodbye to the train as we got in our van for the ride home. As we were passing the airport we heard Sam request from the backseat "I want to ride an airplane next time." Oh boy, that one will have to wait awhile!

New Gnomes and Wand Design Help

2010-03-23T19:17:00.007-05:00

We just came back from a trip to Northern Minnesota. We went with friends to their family cabin (post and pics to follow soon) close to the city of Walker. It's about a 4 hour car ride from the cities which translated into lots of knitting time - Yeah! So, I knitted on the way there, stitched wands while there and knitted again on the way back - it was a fun trip.

With only a few colors of yarn with me I made many yellow items: chicks (for Sam's Kindergarten Class) standing gnomes, gnome dolls and a cat. Here is the pair of my Sunshine standing gnomes, which are laying down oddly enough for the photo.

I need to wash and card some more wool for stuffing the other knitted goodies. So, they will have to wait a few days more for their photo op.

The new wand design is of a flower, two versions, but I'm not satisfied yet. Here is a picture of both and maybe you could leave me some comments on which you like better, suggestions for changes or starting a totally new design. My thought is that the rounded one is better, but it needs to be more regular (I drew it freehand) like the crispness of the stars or hearts. What do you think?

I'm waiting for more pink felt from mamajudes, but I might make a couple of light orange flowers in the interim. Is Spring inspiring you too?

Emily's Scarf

2010-03-10T14:17:00.005-06:00

You might remember from this post that I was hoping to make my friend Emily a scarf to match her fingerless mitts. Well, I didn't get it done in time for her birthday, but I did finish! The pattern is a free one from Ravelry, but here it is directly for the author's blog. It was very simple and after a few rows you'll have the pattern committed to memory. The only modification I made was to only cast on 12 stitches instead of the 21 asked for in the directions. Emily is a small person and looks better in this type of scarf. Also, I think a skinny scarf can be used in more seasons then just winter don't you think? Here's a few photos below.

Overall it was quite an inexpensive gift using only 1 skein of yarn for BOTH fingerless mitts and scarf. Emily was pleased with the belated gift too! Although her son Eli is concerned her fingers will be cold with the mitts. What projects have you finished lately?

Making Window Stars

2010-03-08T11:37:00.006-06:00

Well I finally tackled a project I've been dying to try - making window stars. You know those beautiful translucent stars you see at Waldorf schools? I've purchased some in the past from harvestmoonbyhand on etsy, but I wanted so many(you know every season a different color scheme etc.) that the cost would have been prohibitive.

With the purchase of this book and some kite paper from Wonderment I was ready to begin. I did look at the book Magical Window Stars, but the stars were quite complex and confusing to my Mama fogged mind.

To start I cut my large square into four small ones and began folding each piece as per the directions.

Then I stared gluing each pieces folds down, then all the pieces into one star! It wasn't too hard and the directions were very easy to follow. Here is the results.

I made green for St. Patrick's day and for the coming Spring here in Minnesota - only 12 more days to go! Really the snow is melting and the weather is a balmy 45 degrees (I know not too balmy in most people's eyes but after being frozen all Winter with temps in the single digits and below it is a major relief!) Here are two others I made this morning.

I'm very pleased with the results and can't wait for what Sam will think when he comes home from school. I think I'll still buy the more complicated stars from harvestmoonbyhand as they intimidate me too much, but these basic ones are for me to make in the future. Maybe I'll do some rainbow ones for Sam's room? What projects have you been working on lately?

Having Depression

2010-03-05T08:48:00.003-06:00

I suffer from depression. It's not something I talk about and before this not many people knew about it. What do you say? That's always been my problem. Well, I thought maybe if I wrote about my depression some I could maybe find the words and talking might become less hard.

I've always been a melancholy introverted creative sort of person and have had what I now know to be bouts of depression my whole life. Things really came to a head when we went through infertility treatments and I finally sought out some help to deal with my emotional overload. Right away I was put on medication because I was so low all I could do was cry and sleep so talk therapy wasn't much use yet. Finding the "right" medication mix is not a fun process. Some drugs made me worse, some had side affects that I couldn't live with - hands that shook so badly I couldn't lift a plate let alone knit and one even made me act like I was drunk and couldn't walk straight, and some just did nothing. When my doctor finally found the right "cocktail" of medications my world got appreciably better.

Then talk therapy was added which became quite a help and looks like a mainstay in my life. I'm just realizing that this will be my life. Just like alcoholism depression really doesn't go away. I have good periods and then low periods, but the depression is always there. That's why I need to learn to talk about this major aspect of my life.

Right now I'm in a low and having my medications adjusted. Both my doctors want me to join a support group. I'm not a good joiner, but I'm going to give it a try. The hope is that if I have more and more people to reach out to I'll catch myself before I get too low again and maintain a more even balance.

This post is an abrupt change from my usual postings, but I felt the need to reach out. Maybe some of you also suffer from depression. I would like to hear your stories. Let's start talking.

New Wand Design and New Crowns

2010-03-04T15:38:00.010-06:00

I just finished a new wand design in time for spring (come on Mrs. Thaw push King Winter away!) Just like the other wands it uses rainbow plant dyed yarn from mamajudes for a nice soft handle as well as plant dyed wool felt. The butterfly is a rich orange , as I always think of Monarchs when I think of butterflies, with purple wing designs and body. It's stuffed with wool roving to give it some depth. I also stitched around the butterfly's body to give more contrast from body to wings. Ribbons are the only unnatural item, but all wands need ribbons to dance through the air. I find doing the blanket stitching on these wands so restful and a nice switch from knitting.

On the knitting front new crowns have also been finished in lovely spring colors. All use plant dyed wool yarn (85% wool 15% mohair - very soft) and wool felt for the applique. There's a light blue crown with a gold star and the reverse of a gold crown with a blue star. I also made one for St. Patrick's Day for my red haired Irish boy (also Scots, Phillipino, English, French Canadian, Dutch and Polish - what an American melting pot is he!) It's a lovely shade of spring green with a darker green shamrock to bring the wearer good luck! All these are now up for sale in my etsy shop - have a look.

I only had to bribe him with a fruit popsicle to get this cheesy grin. Coming up next is an orange crown with a blue star and some springtime gnomes! What projects are you up too?

Car Constructions

2010-02-27T07:33:00.004-06:00

Sam has been constructing yet again, but this time with rubber bands (or "bandannas" in Sam speak.) Here as a few snaps of his latest creations. Mom's help is needed to create such masterpieces, but the design is all Sam.

The proud boy still in his jammies. Hard to get a natural smile out of him lately. I guess 3 1/2 year olds are a bit of a ham when it comes to photos.

Sam thought it was so funny that the semi truck was towing the tow truck. Gotta love kid humor.

What is your child up to lately?

Simply Playing Now on Facebook

2010-02-25T19:33:00.004-06:00

My etsy shop Simply Playing now has a page on Facebook. This gives you another way to see what's happening in the store. I'll mainly be adding pics of my new creations as I list them on etsy as well as future project ideas. I'm hoping to start a few conversations as well. Because Easter is on my mind I'm currently wondering "What items do you include in your child's Easter basket?"

Become a Fan and you'll receive a 15% discount on your next purchase from my etsy shop. It's easy to do just scroll down to the Facebook Fan Box and click on the words Simply Playing. This will direct you to my FB page. Then click on Become a Fan and your done! When buying one of my creations from etsy write "facebook" in the notes to seller and I'll refund your 15% through Paypal (shipping is not included in the discount.)

Here's the picture I've chosen for my profile picture. It's also a new Easter item in the store.

Hope to be hearing from you soon!

New Plant Dyed Yarn is HERE!

2010-02-24T06:45:00.004-06:00

On Saturday I received my first package of plant dyed yarn from Mamajudes etsy shop.
Oh, it is so lovely!

It's Even prettier all balled up using the yarn winder Dan gave me for Christmas. There is something so alive and glowing about the yarn; I just couldn't wait to get started knitting.

Alas, I had to wait as it was Sam's big bus adventure day. So, Saturday night after Sam went to bed I started knitting this crown. The pastel rainbow colorway is so fun to work with and I loved having matching plant dyed felt on hand to applique the heart.

I'm now a complete convert to plant dyed if you cannot tell. Then on Sunday had me knitting this bunny from the book Knitted Animals by Anne-Dorthe Grigaff. He was so simple to make I'm sure I'll make lots more for my etsy shop in time for Easter. He too has a little felt applique on his ears to give him an extra special touch.

Thanks for all your well wishes on my changing over to plant dyed yarn. It's wonderful to read such supportive words.

Sam's BIG Adventure

2010-02-21T06:45:00.005-06:00

Sam has talked about a desire to ride a bus and we decided it was time for a big bus adventure. Our journey was to Uptown Minneapolis (about a 1/2 hour ride from our house.) We looked around at shops, bought some fun smartwool socks for me and Sam, had lunch at The Independent and took the bus back home. Big for a three year old is relative. We had so much fun watching Sam explore these new worlds; trying out pool and darts at the restaurant, going up and down an escalator and did I mention the elevator? Such fun was had by all. Bear with me I took lots of photos!

Old Stock SALE!!!

2010-02-19T08:51:00.003-06:00

As I mentioned in a previous post I am in the process of changing over to using all plant dyed yarn and felt in my creations in my etsy shop. So now it's time to clear out the old stock with a SALE! Valentine gnomes and crowns remain $2.00 off, baby gnomes are $2.00 off and regular gnomes, cats and crowns are $1.00 off their original price. I've grouped all my old stock under the catergory of SALE/CLEARENCE. Come check out the deals!

This little guy could go home with you for as little as $9! Stop by my shop today!

Birthday Gift - Fingerless Mitts

2010-02-18T14:59:00.003-06:00

As you can plainly see I did not write on Wednesday about an unfinished project, but instead picked up a completely new one. What's going on here you might ask? My husband certainly did! Well, my oldest friend Emily is having a birthday next week. We don't always exchange gifts, we're both very random that way, but this year I felt she needed a pick me up. Emily is pregnant, in her first trimester, and not feeling very well. So, I wanted to give her something comforting, cheap (trying to stay in budget), that I could knit quickly and that she'd like of course too. I found my inspiration from Waldorf Mama whose blog I read regularly - fingerless mitts!

What was even better was that the pattern was free off of Raverly and I had yarn and needles I would need on hand! I don't know about you, but this hardly EVER happens to me. I got started last night and just finished up this afternoon. This was my kind of project. I used Louet Riverstone Worsted weight yarn in a celery color and probably only used 90 yards total. So, now I'm thinking of making this scarf to go with the mitts. It will use up my yarn (using up yarn completely is in my top 5 favorite things in the world - not even exaggerating here!) make for a fabulous present. Wish me luck!

Planted Dyed Yarn and Felt

2010-02-16T15:05:00.007-06:00

I'm am so excited I can't quite contain myself! I've been in a bit of a malaise about my etsy shop and the direction I want to take and whether or not I want to keep going. What I've been happiest with as of late have been my magic wands made with beautiful felt and yarn that's been planted dyed. The colors seem so alive and real in a way I've never experienced before with commercially dyed yarn. But, my gnomes and other items aren't bringing me the joy they once did.

Then a woman emailed me on etsy to find out if my knit crowns were plant dyed as her children are allergic chemical dyes. This comment really got me thinking about what I'm doing and why. I love making all natural toys for children, but maybe they are not natural enough?

So, I made a big decision to change over to using solely plant dyed wool yarn and wool felt in my creations. The Simply Playing shop will still carry gnomes, cats, crowns and wands, but now all will be made out of in plant dyed wool. I will also add some new baby items as well to the store in case there are others out their that need an alternative to chemical dyes. The phasing in will take me some time so keeping checking in for them and for some deals on my old stock!

Old Project #1 - FINISHED!!!

2010-02-15T08:11:00.006-06:00

Well, I'm so happy to say that I finished my first sweater for myself. Putting it out there in the blog world that I was going to do so really was a motivator (more than I expected.) My biggest challenges were evenly picking up stitches for the collar and attaching the sleeves at the shoulder. Anyone out there have any tips for these tasks? I must admit I just winged it instead of seeking help. The yarn was purchased online instead of my local yarn shop Skeins (not usual for me, but she didn't have what I wanted). This left me feeling a bit funny about going in to ask for help on this project.

Overall, I am pleased with the fit - it's big and snuggly. A perfect Saturday sweater. I wish I would have cast off a bit looser on the collar, but that's my only complaint. Here it is - what do you think?

Now, to pick out another unfinished project to list on Wednesday - so many to choose from, but not for long!

New Books

2010-02-13T10:16:00.003-06:00

As I was going through Sam's books the other day I decided we needed something new to spruce things up a bit. I like to shop at Half Priced Books, but the books I want for Sam I can never find there. So, I let my fingers do the shopping at Amazon.com. We love Daniela Drescher's "In the Land of Elves, Fairies, and Merfolk" books so I purchased 2 more of her books "The Elves Big Adventure" and "What's Hiding in There".

There's a great fold out picture of Redcap Elf and Bluecap Elf trying to land Redcap's hot air balloon.

As you probably guessed "What's Hiding in There" is a lift the flap book. It's filled with wonderful little discoveries like elves, nuts, butterflies and berries hiding in the forest. Sam loved both books, but "The Elves Big Adventure" is the favorite as it has a dragon (friendly) in the story. What new books have you added to your bookshelf?

Giveaway at Natural Suburbia Blog

2010-02-10T07:38:00.002-06:00

Linda from Natural Suburbia Blog is having a great giveaway. Just visit her site by Feburary 12th and leave a comment to enter. Below is a picture of all the fabulous items in her giveaway.

Items in this giveaway:

a handmade rainbow felt sheet,

a hand carved crochet hook,

a skein of hand dyed rainbow cotton,

a skein of hand dyed rainbow mohair,

a skein of hand dyed merino,

a ball of pink banana leaf yarn,

a felt holder wrap for block Stockmar crayons (crayons not included:)

Little black lamb.

Finishing Old Projects - #1 My Sweater

2010-02-09T09:53:00.007-06:00

Well, I decided I need to start finishing some of the bigger projects gathering dust on the shelf. Like many people I have great momentum in the beginning and if I run into a stumbling block I come to a full stop. This sweater's moment was when I realized I did not have enough yarn to finish even though I purchased the amount indicated for my size. Common issue. I now know to always buy at least one skein more, but this irks me as I love to use up all my yarn (I hear you - find another hobby then.)

So, this happened back in October when I thought I get our Christmas picture taken with this sweater as I was clipping along at a good pace back then. Now, it's February and still it sits on the shelf. That is until today, being armed with another skein of yarn (sadly not the same dye lot) and a bit of time while Sam is at preschool to find out where I left off.

I found this book Textured Knits by Julia Cooper at Half Priced Books and luckily fell in love with the one sweater in my size (not much for us busty girls in this volume, but lovely patterns none the less.) It just looked so cozy for a winter's day. I splurged on myself (not at all usual as most moms experience) and bought Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande for the project. It's so light and extremely soft which makes me think this sweater will be worn constantly - when it's done of course.

It has a very easy but unique looking rib pattern that is for the hem and cuffs but it also goes up the center of the front and back for decoration. Here's a close up.

I'll be posting when it's finished and then will start on another unfinished knitting project. Hopefully I'll inspire you, as well as myself, and won't let so many partially completed projects build up again. Wish me luck!

Valentine's Day Sale on Etsy

2010-02-06T09:44:00.005-06:00

I'm having a Valentine's Day Sale in my Etsy Shop. I knit up a bunch of gnomes and crowns special for Valentine's Day with knitted heart appliques. And now that Valentine's Day is fast approaching they need to find new homes. I've marked the gnomes and crowns down by $2.00 so, instead of $12.00 they are now on sale for a mere $10.00! They are made in lovely shades of cream, pink, purple and red and some with mohair yarn to add a bit of fuzzy love to them. Here are just a few examles:

Please take advantage of this great sale while spreading a bit of love this Valentine's day!

Helping With Chores

2010-01-31T12:59:00.004-06:00

My husband is very talented at getting our three year old to help with chores. He makes his cars or doll pick things up and put them away. Or, if Sam wants to play something special (like indoor golf with tinker toys in the living room) with Dad he has to clean up his other toys first. My favorite though is when Sam helps with laundry. He goes down to the basement with Dad to get the clothes out of the dryer and then gets in the basket too! Here's a few photos:

After this, the laundry explodes all over the room helped by our three year old whirlwind. Then Dad gets Sam down to the business of sorting clothes into piles, while he folds. And finally they both put the clothes away. It's a very long process, but at least it gets done. Thank you Dan for all that you do!

New Wands

2010-01-29T17:51:00.003-06:00

So, to have a small respite from knitting I've been working on some wand designs. This is the latest - a star wand. I was inspired by MamaJudes beautiful plant dyed rainbow bulky wool yarn and matching felt. The wooden dowel is wrapped in yarn creating a beautiful rainbow. I used my favorite blanket stitch on the star edges and smaller star applique. Again, the only unnatural element is the ribbons in blue, green, and yellow. The wand is for sale now in my etsy shop. I'm hoping to make a few more designs to sell in the shop as well as at the big May Fair event at my son's Waldorf school.

Give a Kitty for Valentines Day

2010-01-24T09:26:00.005-06:00

I just finished some great new knitted kitty cats just in time for Valentine's Day. I usually stick to natural color combinations for my cats, but I had some left over pink mohair yarn - just enough for a cat. You'll notice from my etsy shop I've been adding mohair to the gnomes too. There's something about fuzziness that makes me think of love and Valentine's Day. So, here's my new trio of Valentine's Day Cats: Miss Bubblegum, Valentine Red and Cat in the Cream.

New - Valentine Heart Magic Wands

2010-01-21T17:35:00.005-06:00

I just made a new item for my etsy shop - Valentine Heart Magic Wands! They are made from some wonderful plant dyed felt I purchased from a fellow etsian MamaJudes. It's a lovely wool rayon felt which is thick and soft. I wanted a new item for Valentine's Day and my son gave me the idea as he was running around with his dragon wand from Sarah's Silks. The heart is simply blanket stitched and stuffed with wool roving to give it some depth. The only thing not natural is the ribbons which are sadly polyester. All that's needed is an imaginative child and the magic begins.

Knitted Play Crowns - Free Pattern

2009-12-17T19:14:00.006-06:00

I'm super excited about my new project - knitted play crowns for kids. This is the first pattern I've made up myself from scratch. I'm planning on making a bunch for the May Fair that Sam's Waldorf School hosts every year (I know I'm not even done with Christmas presents yet and I'm thinking of Spring!) When I get a new idea it does tend to take over and I go through a mild period of obsession. A few will also be showing up in my etsy store so keep an eye out. Here are some pictures with Sam as the reluctant model.The eighties hair style crown look.

This profile shot shows it off pretty well. There's one large point in the front surrounded by 6 smaller points. The band of seed stitches in the middle reminds me of small jewels.

And, last we have the traditional crown wearing style.

Here's my attempt at pattern writing so please let me know if you have problems making it. This pattern is for personal use only.

Worsted Weight Yarn
Size 6 16" Circular Knitting Needles
Fits 2 years on up (Model pictured is 3 1/2)

The Band

Cast on 80 stitches
Join in the round
Round 1 : Purl
Round 2: Knit
Round 3-5: Seed Stitch (also known as Moss stitch)
Round 6: Knit
Round 7: Purl

The Points

Row 1: Knit 10 stitches
Row 2: Turn piece to back side and knit those same 10 stitches
Row 3: Turn piece to front side and SSK, Knit 6 stitches, K2TOG
Row 4: Turn piece to back and knit those 8 stitches
Row 5: Turn piece to front and SSK, Knit 4 stitches, K2TOG
Row 6: Turn piece to back and knit those 6 stitches
Row 7: Turn piece to front and SSK, Knit 2 stitches, K2TOG
Row 8: Turn piece to back and knit those 4 stitches
Row 9: Turn piece to front and SSK, K2TOG
Row 10:Turn piece to back and knit those 2 stitches
Row 11: Turn piece to front and K2TOG
Cut yarn and pull through last stitch.
You've now finished one of the small points.

Start yarn at the next stitch and repeat as above 2 more times. You now have a total of 3 small points.

To make the big point start with 20 stitches instead of 10. Follow the same instructions; you'll just have more rows.

Make 3 more small points and you'll have gone all the way around the band. Weave in all your loose ends (you'll have 2 per point) on the inside of the crown (good tips on how to weave in ends on YouTube.com)

Give your crown to a child to enjoy!

My Gnomes in Their New Home

2009-12-14T07:09:00.007-06:00

We had a Holiday Fair at Sam's Waldorf School were I sold my knitted gnomes, cats and bags. Many of the kids who attend there went home with a gnome or two. One family, who now home school their girls, bought five. They were instantly absorbed into the family. The girls made them a paper house with knitted rugs and blankets of their own creation for their new gnome family. Their very creative Waldorf loving Mama took these photos which I wanted to share with all of you. Enjoy!

Construction with Yarn

2009-12-13T07:29:00.005-06:00

My son Sam REALLY wants to learn how to knit as Mama knits constantly. I tell him when he's old enough he'll learn it at his Waldorf School and I will help too. Of course this explanation does not satisfy an active 3 1/2 year old! So, I end up giving him a small ball of yarn to play with and this is the result.

Here is our front door knob which connects through the living room and down the hall to Sam's bedroom door knob below.

Now we're back to the front door handle with the shower squeegee tied up. Sam calls these obstacle courses and indeed it does make getting around the house interesting. My dear husband is clean crew for these endeavors and does all the winding unraveling - god bless him!

A Birthday and Lemonade from Lemons...

2009-12-11T08:55:00.008-06:00

I had my birthday yesterday and what a day it was! I awoke to "Happy Birthday MAMA!" from my son followed by a pancake breakfast (that I didn't cook - yay!), beautiful flowers, scrumptious truffles, lunch at Lucia's (our favorite restaurant in Minneapolis), thrifting at the Goodwill and a day spent with my husband who took the day off. I'm so grateful to have such a giving loving family!

Our birthday ring showing I'm now 38 (oh so close to 40 - agh!) and have a winter birthday, love gnomes, live in a yellow house and have a son who can't be left out so hence his birthday bee was added. I love this tradition of the birthday ring which we started for Sam, but now use to celebrate everyone in the family including Grandma!

Lovely yellow roses adding such joy to our house with the bleak and frigid weather outside. The lovely vase was my Grandmother's and really makes any bouquet spectacular.

Here's our table's winter centerpiece with a fantastic needle felted King Winter I purchased from darialvovsky on etsy.

I was so excited to finish my Snow Gnome for the winter display. Dan calls him a Snome! Silly , but fun.

Sam had his first scissor incident today. He was making a dragon out of a plastic bag (I think he got the idea from kites we've seen) just shredding it to bits. Then he must have gotten bored and snipped 2 holes in his pillow form IKEA. It's a good reminder to Mama to be in the same room with him while he's cutting - oh well! So, I took some inspiration from Wee Folk Art and appliqued some wool felt hearts to cover the holes. I think it turned out well, although where I start the blanket stitch and end is a bit messy. But, the pillow was saved! Thus lemonade from lemons.

Fall

2009-11-15T22:34:00.005-06:00

Fall is my favorite season. The colors, the smell and simply the feel of the air when you walk outside. I was out taking pictures of my new Christmas Gnomes and Christmas Ornament this morning and had snap a photo of the beautiful frost.

My son Sam is enamored with my little stories of Jack "Jackie" Frost. His latest question being "Does he live here too?" (I assumed meaning our neighborhood.) Which I found funny as I never thought to mention his home in my stories. Then realized home is so important to a child that of course he would wonder where he lived. Do any of you have any fun Jack Frost stories to share?

Here are my homage to Autumn Gnomes which are available in my etsy shop and as a giveaway on Contemporary Earth Mama's Blog this coming Monday the 16th. Drop a comment on her blog for a chance to win. Bring a little Fall into your home today.

It Finally Got Us....Flu is Here

2009-11-10T07:18:00.005-06:00

Well, my little three year old caught the flu this past weekend. We've been extremely lucky as this is only the 2nd time he's been really sick. He's got a temp and can't keep food down poor little boy, and is sleeping fitfully. We have no T.V., but brought out the movie projector to pass the time. I feel so guilty about this as as a rule we try to limit media to hopefully none or most likely an hour a week. So, now Sam is getting an onslaught, but I don't know what else to do as he's so miserable. Any suggestions on amusing a sick child would be greatly appreciated.

Here we are snuggling on our couch, as he wants his Mama next to him all day (I've gotten lots of knitting down at least.) He didn't even want his picture taken...poor little guy.

Halloween

2009-11-10T07:04:00.003-06:00

Here's my Sam as a cow for Halloween. It was the only non violent costume that fit him from our local used clothing store, but luckily he didn't mind. In fact, Sam embraced it wholeheartedly and actually wore his costume this year (last Halloween he just carried his lion suit around with him.) This was his first year of actually going door to door with Daddy. He basically just went around our block visiting with the neighbors, and not once saying "Trick or Treat" so I'm told. The best part was watching him play with his candy - not eat it mind you - just playing. I wonder how long that will last.

Fire, Lunch and Compost Pit

2009-10-29T06:12:00.008-05:00

It was a gray but warmer October day - the perfect day for a fire in our little backyard. Mama was the master fire builder. Looks pretty good huh? Fires always remind me of camping, one of our favorite activities, which we don't do enough.

Lunch was a simple affair of goat cheese on Wasa crackers for the adults, cheddar cheese and crackers for Sam and apples.

Sam, who usually is all over the place during meals, focused on the fire, sat still and ate. Maybe we should have fires everyday?

I imagine Sam is thinking - "Is she taking my picture?"

The fire made a dramatic collapse after about 30 minutes.

Dan's project for the day was to dig a compost pit which we could put our compost bin on top of to increase it's capacity. We seem to always run out of room for our kitchen scraps mid winter, so this effort will hopefully solve the problem. I feel we still need another bin, but space is such an issue in our little backyard. We already have a shade garden, kitchen garden, raspberry patch, sandbox, playhouse, fire pit and tables and chairs. Oh ya, there is a bit of room left to play - thank goodness!

Before the hole was filled and covered, Sam had such fun getting in a out of it! All by himself no less - what a three year old!

Daddy and Sam together in the compost pit. I love this photo as it really captures the fun of the afternoon.

What I'm Knitting Now...

2009-10-27T14:16:00.004-05:00

As you may have read from my SOCKS! post, I had to purchase a whole skein of yarn for the 2" of toe I was short. So, now I needed a way to use a partial skein of yarn (normally enough to make 1 sock.) What I came up with are these "almost" knee high socks. I used some green sock yarn my mother had left over (no idea what brand) and purchased the blue yarn from Blue Sky Alpacas. I'm pretty happy with them except for their length. Probably I should have checked their length one last time before I started ribbing - sigh. Sock number 2 is underway and I will increase the length; going back to increase the length of the first. I took a pattern out of Socks From the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson and just knit in garter skipping the lacework. They are so quick with the stripes adding all the interest. What I'm not looking forward to is weaving in all the ends - yuck.

Fall Harvest Orchard

2009-10-22T23:50:00.008-05:00

I meant to post this in September when we visited the farm, but writing hasn't been happening too much as you can very well see. We took our niece Alex and nephew Tyler to Fall Harvest Orchard in Delano, MN for apple picking and good old farm fun! It was a gray day, but warm and good times were had by all. Oddly enough when I went through my pictures of our day there were none of us picking apples. The big hit with everyone was burying each other in the corn bin and holding the baby animals. Here's a few photos:

Nephew Tyler fully buried. Later he even let his head be covered with corn.

Everyone chipping in to cover Dan.

Sam just loved the tactile quality of the corn. Hmmm...maybe we should have a cornbox instead of a sandbox at home?

Tyler, who is allergic to cats, was so enthralled by picking up the baby goats and the different breeds and ages of chicks that he just couldn't stop himself when it came to the farm cats.

Sam did manage to pick this goat up; I did not manage to get a picture of that moment.

Dan holding the special fluffy breed of chickens they raise.

We all feed the goats oats, played tether ball, ate brats, picked gourds, took a tractor ride, picked apples thoroughly enjoying our day at the farm. I wish the weather stayed warm enough so we could have gone back, but we'll just have to wait again until next year. It was a wonderful day with my family.

Oh, I almost forgot to include the ubiquitous tractor photo. Here's Alex - isn't she lovely?

Sheep Shearing Day

2009-10-20T12:32:00.009-05:00

On Saturday we went to Misty Meadows Icelandic farm in Minnetrista, MN to watch the sheep get sheared, the fleeces skirted, and play with wool! Here are a few photos of our day.

This woman who did the shearing was amazing. She was gentle, firm and quick. Just a few minutes was all it took her to shear off a fleece and all in one piece!

Dan with the HUGE pumpkin!

Dad and Sam at the" helm" of the tractor. Where are you going Sam? It was so great to have a warmer sunny day as Fall here in Minnesota has been cold and wet this year.

Time to go home. It was a fun day and mom bought lots of yummy fall wool to make wool felt for our Centerpiece and our Nature Table. Here are the results.

This was such a fun and EASY project. We had just learned how to felt in our Parent/Child class "Seedlings" held at Sam's school Spring Hill Waldorf School in Excelsior, MN. I might do a tutorial on it for when I make some felt for our winter displays.

SOCKS!!!

2009-08-05T18:03:00.004-05:00

O.k., I'm a little excited. I just finished my 1st 2 pairs of socks! I've wanted to knit socks for a long time. I finally signed up for a class this last Spring at the local Community Center only to have the worst teacher, very mean spirited, so socks got put off until now. A lady at my local yarn shop helped me find a simple pattern (Plymouth Yarn Company Encore Sock 1410) and a GREAT pair of very tiny sock circular needles (of which I forget the brand name) and I started off on my own.

This pair I made for my mother from Regia superwash wool. It was a great self striping yarn. My only issue was I ran out of yarn for the last toe and had to buy another skein.

Then I became hooked and immediately went out and purchased more yarn to make a pair for myself. Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn again with this pair but was unable to get more as it was a closeout product. I compromised and found blue yarn that matched from Blue Sky Alpacas to finish this pair.

Again, I promptly purchased more yarn. And this time I also purchased a knit from the toe up pattern (NatureSpeak Knits Toe-Up Joy by Jeanne C. Abel) so I will not run out of yarn again, but maybe have shorter socks!

Yarn Giveaway

2009-07-22T14:33:00.003-05:00

Linda from Natural Suburbia is having another yarn giveaway. Leave a comment for a chance to win her beautiful yarn.

I am giving away this beautiful Rainbow Yarn, this skein holds 100 grams / 3.5 ounces and it is so beautiful and soft .... It is a handspun, hand dyed skein. Don't forget to leave me your email so I can reach you when you win. This giveaway is open to the whole world...

Dinner From the Garden

2009-07-20T18:08:00.006-05:00

We have a small garden in our city sized yard, so it's indeed a special night when dinner is from the garden! Tonight's bounty was basil for pesto and raspberries for dessert.

My beautiful berry bowl is from my best friend Emily .

Here's our modest raspberry patch. We live in Hopkins which was known for it's many raspberry fields, but now the only raspberries growing are in our backyards.

Our beautiful basil! The smell is so heavenly.

Sam helping with the washing.

Presto Pesto!

Our cat Zooey (think J.D. Salinger) basking in the warm sun, being no help at all except making me smile!

Making a Felt Pin

2009-07-08T16:04:00.007-05:00

I was wanting to do some stitching on some felt pins I'm making and of course Sam wanted to make a pin too. I gave him some wool felt to cut and he glued some on paper and then wanted to start on his pin.

He gave me pieces which I layered in order of size. Then it was time to sew! I used a thick green cotton floss and asked Sam where to stick the needle which he would then pull through the felt.

Interest level waned after a few more stitches, so I put the pin back on to finish.

Sam calls his pin "Tin" which he explains is a kind of monster. You gotta love boys who like to combine sewing with monsters!

Free Pocket Gnome Knitting Pattern

2009-07-05T19:42:00.005-05:00

I found this pattern on Plain and Joyful Living blog and have been knitting them ever since. I made a few changes to the hat and head from Tonya's original pattern, but otherwise it's the same. Share the love of gnomes by making one to give today!

To get started:

Materials: 20 yards of worsted weight wool yarn for the body color 5 yards of worsted weight wool yarn for the skin color clean carded sheep's wool for stuffing yarn needle size 6 knitting needles (for worsted weight) or size appropriate for weight of yarn
You can use any size needle and yarn to create different size gnome babies!

First Leg:

Cast on 10 stitches, leaving about a 10" tail for sewing up the leg
Knit 10 rows (garter stitch).
Cut yarn leaving a 5" tail.

Second Leg:

(push first leg to bottom of needles)
Cast on 10 stitches on same needle that first leg is on this time leaving about a 15" tail.
Like first leg, knit 10 rows (garter stitch).

Body:

Now knit both legs together (all 20 stitches). This will form the body.
Knit (garter stitch) for 16 rows

Head:

Now switch to the skin color - and knit 10 rows in the stockinette stitch (this is one row garter, one row purl). Knit 10 rows. On 11th row knit every 2 stitches together giving you 10 stitches.
Next bind off all 10 stitches.

Sew up the Body:

Start with the shorter piece of yarn on the leg and thread the needle. Fold the leg in half to meet in the middle. (Wrong sides together - the smooth part of the head will be on the inside) Start with a running stitch around the bottom of the leg and pull. Then stitch up the side of the leg.
Finish by making a knot with the other yarn end that is in the middle and tuck yarn ends to the outside.

Now take the longer string at the end of the other leg and thread yarn needle. Work just like the first leg except continue stitching up the back of the gnome baby. When you reach the skin color - tie off with the other colored yarn. Turn body right side out.

Stuff body with wool. Stuff legs first. I use the end of the knitting needle or crochet hook to get the wool in firmly. Stuff up to the beginning of the head.

Now take the yarn that you used to knit up the back of the body and make a running stitch between the body color and head color to form the neck. Tie a knot.
Now tuck all the loose strings into the head and take the skin color hanging yarn and thread needle. Sew up back of the head only to the top. Cut body color loose string inside head.
Stuff head with wool.

Now use a running stitch around top of head and tie off with other yarn string. Cut hanging yarns almost to the knot.

Arms:

Cast on 8 stitches and knit 8 rows cast off.
Sew up cast off edge with a running stitch and then sew up side. Stuff Arm . Repeat for Arm 2.

Hat:

Cast on 22 stitches. Knit four rows in garter stitch (Knit every row) for three rows. Then knit in stockinette stitch (purl a row, knit a row) for 3 more rows. Continue in stockinette stitch and knit two stitches together at the beginning and end of each knit row (every other row).
Continue this until there is only one stitch left. Cut yarn long (about 20") and pull through loop.
Put yarn in yarn needle and sew up back of hat. Finish by sewing hat around the head.

Strawberry Picking

2009-07-05T12:52:00.006-05:00

We went strawberry picking today for the first time. It all started with a tractor ride to the far fields (this was by far Sam's favorite part.)

Here's Dan in his row doing the actual picking. It's a little hard on such a tall guy to have to get down so low.

You really have to hunt for the berries amongst all the foliage as they like to hide.

Of course, there is lots of eating too which Sam excelled. But, if you didn't watch him he'd put his half eaten strawberries back and grab a fresh one!

Here I am holding the bounty of the day. We picked 30 lbs. by the end of our visit and ate who knows how much! Now, off to the kitchen for some baking and freezing of such summer goodness!

Shelling Peas

2009-07-05T07:47:00.005-05:00

I stumbled upon a fun activity to do with my family the other day - shelling peas! We went to the farmer's market Saturday morning, as is our routine, and purchased some sugar snaps peas. The skins had gotten tough so I decided to shell them and just use the peas for some fried rice I planned to make. We usually sit in the park next to the market and eat our goodies, this week cookies and black raspberries, and our son Sam runs around. So, I started shelling the peas into the now empty raspberry container, Dan was helping me and then Sam stopped running, an amazing feat in itself, and joined us. We sat and finished the lot together munching on peas and chatting - truly a lovely 10 minutes! Next week I plan to buy more to freeze and can only hope to recapture the experience!

Dying Flowers Experiment from 5 Orange Potatoes

2009-07-04T20:12:00.005-05:00

Queen Anne's Lace Fireworks!

Don't these colored Queen Anne's Lace flowers look like fireworks? They would make a beautiful July 4th decoration and you'll have a chance to teach the kids some botony on the side. ;) I saw Joy, You know how we're an art family, do it with her family, and me being the nature girl I am HAD to try it. I've done this with carnations and celery, but this is by far my favorite flower for this experiment!

What you need:
Freshly cut Queen Anne's Lace flowers
Food coloring (we used Easter egg dye)
Clear bottles
Water

Now, simply color the water (10-20 drops) and add a flower to each bottle. Then wait, keep checking the flowers every 10 minutes. Let them sit overnight too, they get brighter and bolder with time.

We tried this experiment ourselves this weekend with Daisies, but didn't get quite the spectacular results that 5 Orange Potatoes did with her Queen Anne's Lace.

Our best color was blue.

Our next best color was orange, but it looks rather more yellow than orange.

Red was the only other we saw a color change, albeit faint.

All in all it was a fun experiment to do with my son and a very lovely centerpiece for the table. Check out the original entry
http://www.5orangepotatoes.com/2009/07/queen-annes-lace-fireworks.html

My Nature Table and Center Piece

2009-07-04T13:56:00.005-05:00

My favorite activity as of late has been arranging flowers from the garden for our table centerpiece and for our nature table (really just a shelf in our bookcase - our house is small.) In Minnesota the winters are long so in the summer I go plant crazy as their time here is short.

Her's our dining room table with a bouquet of Cosmos and Lady's Mantle flowers and leaves. Their color is so golden I used my son's gold silky to match and I'm so happy with the effect. We put Dan's father's day card out as the sailboat makes me think of summer on the lake when I was a kid. To represent fire we have our candle, fire gnome, and fire angel (her colors are yellow, orange and red so my son called her a fire angel when we first got her - ditto with the gnome. I guess you could say he likes fire as he's a Leo with red hair!) Lastly, I put out one of my felted flower puzzles just to have more flowers.

This is our small nature shelf. I found it hard to photograph as it doesn't get a lot of natural light. Currently it has the first 2 purple cone flowers from our yard along with more lady's mantle flowers (they look great with everything!) Gnomes are all over our house as I love to knit them, so here is no exception. I choose pink and yellow as our summer colored gnomes who I imagine are helping bring about the flowers in our garden. We also have a few butterflies, a bluebird on her nest, a couple of mushrooms (not too common in our yard which has pretty sandy soil), rocks and a yellow silky. My mom gave me the picture of the girl blowing a danelion and I just loved the old fashioned feel it emits. She purchased it from a company called Moonlight & Roses (http://moonlightandroses.com/) who carry these large postcards and cards with all sorts of fairy, sprite, and gnome designs. I'm currently trying to pick out a card for Fall, but having a difficult time choosing.

Giveaway From Natural Suburbia

2009-07-04T13:47:00.001-05:00

Crafting and a Giveaway...

Sock Wool Giveaway:

This beautiful hand dyed ball of 100g sock wool has been very kindly donated by my friend Carle', www.ourholisticlife.blogspot.com for my giveaway. Carle' has hand dyed this wool herself and also has a stunning Etsy shop where she has just listed her hand spun wool, http://www.nurturingfibres.etsy.com/

If you would like to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on my blog and I will choose and announce the winner next Saturday.

I would really appreciate it if you would link to this giveaway in your blogposts for more people to have a chance to win, but if you would just like to enter and not post about it, that is just fine too. I look forward to hearing from you all....

Have a lovely 4th of July weekend.... I of course, will be spinning....

Warmly

Linda

Check out Linda's Blog Entry at http://www.naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/

My Garden on a Saturday Morning

2009-07-04T12:27:00.005-05:00

We just got back from the Farmer's Market and I took some pictures of what's blooming now. Above is a wild petunia which is a Minnesota native.

My hydrangea bushes are now in full bloom.

I love the delicate pink of my mallow. It differs so much from the rest of the garden and always makes me think of little girls in their pink leotards learning ballet.

The Bees were also busy on this gray morning.

My butterfly weed has had a hard time this summer with Japanese Beetles eating them before they got a chance to grow. I'm curious if this larvae is more beetles or something else. Hmm...must check it out on the internet.

More bees.

Lastly, here's queen of the meadow, another Minnesota native, whose "crown" is really quite fabulous!

Felting a Knitted Horse

2009-06-28T13:50:00.000-05:00

I'm just starting on a new project this week that I'm very excited about. I'm taking a knitted horse pattern from Freya Jaffke's book "Toymaking With Children" (a definate must for any Waldorf Family) and adapting it to make a felted horse for my son Sam. My hope is that it will be more sturdy and durable then the knitted version.

In my first attempt I'm doubling my knitting needle size and the pattern size using a basic worsted weight yarn (Fisherman's Wool by Lion Brand Yarns.)

The horse turned out huge as you can see above, measuring about 15" wide by 12" tall. The smaller orange horse shows the pattern's original size. Now to sew it up and loosely stuff it with wool.

Here is the horse after agitating in the washing machine for 2 cycles. I had a little trouble with the back seam busting and some of the wool stuffing coming out and then wool just shifting around more then I would have liked. I think if I did this again I would stuff the legs more firmly than I did this time around.
This photo is after a bit of hand wet felting and some shaping. Overall I like the shape, but wish the legs were more uniform in shape. I'm guessing he won't be able to stand alone, but hopefully that won't matter to my son!