as you wish

i hope you recognize the title of this blog from a very favorite book and movie, the princess bride. i wanted to make something for v-day, and then had this divine inspiration.

not only is it made from recycled wool, it is made from a recycled wool suitcoat, and the backside sports one of the suitcoat's pockets (and button)!!! clearly, this would be a brilliant way to give a gift of jewelry, poetry, little chocolates, or any other pocket-sized token. truly one of a kind.

i'm also making some littles. i think it was leftover christmas spirit that made me want to put a hanging loop on the top (wool yarn i-cord). wouldn't it be a sweet ornament? it is backed in 100% cotton denim, this one without pocket.

but the best part of this gift, i think, could be the presentation. how many times a day do we ask our loved ones to do something for us? a glass of water? change the laundry? let the dogs in? let's say your sweetie asks you to turn the lights on, and you pop out of bed, turn the lights on and hand him or her this precious gift, with the words 'as you wish'. nice, right? or, if he or she is not familiar with the princess bride i've made this one too:

it's in the denim, backed in light blue cotton knit (no pocket), reclaimed pants, both of them (100% cotton, of course). all are stuffed with 100% wool bits - recycled from sweater trimmings. more are coming, and possibly to be featured at some local craft happenings! i'll let you know! <3

safety first

as colden grows, we've been moving our things higher and higher. at this point, little is unreachable, although he hasn't begun moving furniture to climb up and access higher shelves.

but, he has gotten the hang of the doorknobs. at first it was difficult to keep him out of the garage (and all its wonders and terrors), but now he is pretty content to 'leave it closed right now'. and i have to say that it's quite sweet when he hears the dogs whining to come in and lets them in. he closes the door behind them too. sometimes i even ask him to go take care of them! how great is that?

so we thought we might be able to get away without purchasing those plastic door handle covers that prevent children from opening doors while still allowing adult access. then, the other morning, marc woke up and colden was out of the bedroom. (i was still sleeping). with all the christmas lights, cole's fondness for electrical outlets and candles, the occasional stray pin, well. i guess this was a wake up call (ha!). marc proposed the idea long ago for a crocheted cover, and well, it was just easy as pie.

we may not need it for long, or we may need more, but either way it is not going in the landfill ever, beautiful to look at and touch, and didn't cost a dime. hooray!

stockings

my own stocking growing up was handmade. not the sock itself, but the red felt that spelled out 'KENDRA', and i think the santa face (mom?). maybe it's the associated wonderful christmas memories, but i LOVE LOVE LOVE that stocking. and when my mom bought me a new one, i protested.

so, of course, i had to make stockings for our family. (the first two before the third had joined us.)

and, yes, they are wool sweaters! blanket stitched up with yarn and appliqued/embroidered with yarn and wool pieces. papa's is green with a burning fire on it, mine white with snowflakes, and then there is our little one with the night sky and stars.

this year i was asked to make stockings for our dear dear friends' children. of course i wanted them to be as special as could be, and i am still so honored to be their stocking-maker, i can't even say. i know what kinds of memories they are creating together, and to be a small part of that? well, it is truly a gift. so thank you, thank you, thank you. i loved making these, and they are full of warm and wonderful imaginings of loving family times. you know i will be thinking of you happily every christmas too.

they are similar to my childhood sock, red with white trim and the name on top. only these are sweater pieces, of course. the white part is from an alpaca sweater, making it extra furry on top, and then i embroidered owen and josephine in red cotton floss. i double-stitched them too - you never know how heavy your stocking may get.

see, i've been busy! more handmade goodness to share too, post-giving. lots of mistletoe and mice were presents for our family members, but some other little somethings too. i may be begging for pictures though, because down to the wire knitting jumped in the mail without a photo! have you used the u.s. postal online services? i have to give them a big thank you. these stockings were sent from portland on a thursday at 4 pm and arrived in seattle the next morning. wow!

hope you're reveling in handmade love! blessings!

kiss, kiss, hello!

whew! i am just peeking in to say hello. i'm leaving half-finished woolly projects all over the house gearing up for some local elementary school craft fairs. if you're in town (portland, oregon's the place). i'll be at sunnyside environmental school (3421 se salmon st) this saturday 11 am - 4 pm with a big bunch of toys and warmers and woolly mistletoe! i'm very excited about the mistletoe. isn't it sweet? it's available in my etsy shop too, of course!

the following saturday, dec. 12, from 10 am - 2 pm i'll be sharing space with lanz at portland village school (7654 n delaware avenue). i'm very excited to be at both of these schools, as i've heard wonderful things about both of them!

i'd also like to mention that cedarwood's magical winter faire will be this saturday (dec. 5) as well. if you haven't been, it is very worth the trip. i owe much of my hand-sewing skills to my time as a handwork assistant there! my friend natalie's sixth grade class has made salve they will be selling, and they've already sold a ton of pre-orders! it is very good stuff and supports handmade healing and learning for these budding entrepreneurs! aaaand my friend shauna will be there with lovely organic soapy goodness. her things are so lovingly crafted and made from the purest materials available. they are delicious! how lucky am i to know such crafty people? okay, back at it! xxx

costume revamp headgear

last year's farmer and black sheep! awwww!

sheep costume gets a new hat (made the morning of, as usual) to become... a bear! (or cat or puppy, but the tail is still short like a lamb/bear)! plus some more recycled sweater work for a headband and horns for papa.

awww! happy halloween!

hedgehog, snake, and broom

please forgive me for not posting in a while. i am no ball juggler, like my friend anne, over here. she is tempting me to try quilting - look at those beauties! in turn, i must tempt her with this link to quilting for peace. i think i found it through the book publisher's blog? looks pretty sweet.

somehow my computer, internet, and camera couldn't see to it last week. nor could i muster the courage for the battle. then when the toddler finds the power button, well, you get the idea. i did, however, make it to the last crafty wonderland (post pending) and get a lot of crafting done in the mean time! i am hoping to perfect it a bit then seriously whip out the hedgehogs and brooms. maybe snakes. (they're just so big - i think a couple house snakes is all that we need - one for our drafty door and one to play with.)

so, here are my things - all made from recycled sweaters. inspired by all of the incredible sweater recyclartists out there, but my own unique little guys. so please respect my seedling ventures a la creative commons licensure. i'll add it to the sidebar or something too. (do i need to do something else here, o you of experience?) i jumped in feet first! another reason for the blogging break, research!

and without further ado:

hedgehog - body, coat, nose, eyes, all recycled wools. it is worth having the hedgehog just to hear colden say it. hedgog, hedgehog. dog. hog. hotdog. it's a mouthful. here is the hedgehog; "sit on my lap."

above = evidence of terrible camera problems. new snake photo coming. i was trying to capture how taken sammy was all curled up in this snake with her entire body cozied up to it all splayed out. but at this point she was getting embarassed. my next shot is her stretching and leaving. felted sweater snake with button eyes and i-cord tongue, plus rattle-ish tail. he still needs stuffing and sewing.

action broom! the handle is pretty floppy, you see. i am thinking of stuffing the next one for more real-life broom-like-ness.

here is a better view, again, recycled wools - pants and various stages of felted sweaters.

i don't want to leave you hanging so before my next post, please take the opportunity to do some shopping for a worthy cause at wheels for henry. heard about this fundraiser at crafty wonderland. etsy sellers are contributing percentages (up to 100%!) of their sales thru oct. 31.

next up, proper photos, a little embroidery, vintage swaps!, and the sewing room is coming along too!

finally

i think it was nearly a year ago that i promised to make these pants in exchange for those hooks. actually, there's another sweater. and more hooks, but i finally got part of my end of the bargain finished. here's hoping these little sweater pants fit shanoah. we love love love these hooks her papa keith made, and the rest of that sweater is bound for hot pads for mama tanyia. (check out their band, omiza river). the other sweater? we'll just have to see about that.

stains

a while back (in august!?), i had the great pleasure of celebrating lanz's birthday at her home. she hosted a natural dyeing party. i have always wanted to do more natural dyeing and even took a class at the oregon college of art and craft way back when i was newly pregnant with colden. this time i had a whole slew of stuff to try dyeing, but i didn't want to take up all the room in the communal pots. (plus, lanz and i have some future plans for more natural dyeing dates!) so i chose these onesies that needed the transformation the most - one stained with mud, the other with watermelon. mud went into the onion skin pot and watermelon into the madder.

the onion skin one (left) was actually a brilliant gold shade until i washed it in hot water, and next time i will try a vinegar soak to see if i can get more of the gold to stick around. i soaked the madder in vinegar before washing and i think it helped. i just love them and i'm excited to do more! you should have seen the silks coming out of these pots! oh so lovely! and i fully intend to get my own indigo pot a-brewing. maybe this weekend?

i did use an alum mordant for the onesies, but there are some dyestuffs that do not require any. one is walnut. i've read most places to use crushed walnut hulls, but one of my books said you could do it with leaves in a sealed pot left for one week. i did it, after a neighborhood stroll, and now my week is almost up! i put lots of different bits of wool and such in to see what happens! i am in search of a giant pot for doing larger pieces and batches. i plan on pretty-ing up some grey and tan sweaters from the bins with some lichen (also needs no mordant). this will require more hiking in my future. oh yeah.

check out my sidebar

i've taken the plunge. i keep telling myself i can always change it to make it better (that perfectionism preventing me from sallying forth), but really, there's little to risk! oh, and i'm open to feedback, as long as it is positive.

quota

i brought a big bunch of yarn with me on our trip last week, so that i could really get a whole bunch of mitts ready to sell on etsy. (as soon as i get that all tidied up!) i actually asked marc to give me a goal that i could meet; how many pairs? he said 20, but i talked him down to 12. i'm supposed to make up the difference though, before the end of the month. should be well within my means. though the driving from chicago to iowa and back did help me out with this bundle.

this is also dependent on me not giving them away before then. whoops. this pair went to venessa, whom we were fortunate enough to get to spend a few hours with in chicago. i'm sure she'll be drawing tons of business my way though.

and this one went to julie, when i learned that it was her birthday yesterday (via h2m's blog!)! only one button here (i'm going for two usually), but it was an irresistible one.

the rest are awaiting sewing ends in, buttons, photos, and all that. or maybe you'd like them?

whoo who!

here he is! i was able to consult with marc this morning over buttons v. felt, and we ended up liking the buttons that looked like felt anyway. felt it is! i also needed the help to have some time with the owl to get his face on, because colden is already very attached. i've been reading some other crafty mamas' blogs, and it seems universally true - if you've made it, the little ones love it even more from seeing its making. so, i still have to stuff him, and i would like to get my ravelry account more active and share him there as well. but essentially, he has been an owl since his first felting. don't tell cole i took him outside (the owl stays inside) for this photo. i just don't want him in the sandbox!

another project still 'on the needle', so to speak, before we leave for the midwest tomorrow. i might try to set up a post for that one to reveal itself at the right time. or i will just concentrate on finishing it and not get any blogging in for the next week! either way, i won't have as much computer access over the next few. til then!

(p.s. i forgot to include the pattern link, just in case you didn't read my other massive sock summit post: woolly something - owls)

little mouse

this qualifies as a completed project from the pile because i had a small mousie printout from long ago sitting on a stack of grey felted sweaters. i had a similar looking one from germany as a child - until my cat got it. naturally. this is one drawback to the toy intended for children (not cats). however, he still needs some work, so although this guy is finished, it's still on the to-do list. i think the next incarnation will include some actual wool felt ears (instead of crochet), and a slightly bigger, perhaps tapered, tail. i'm open to other suggestions. here he is hiding under an adorable church-rummage sale find (25 cents, i think).

inaugural sock summit - 2009 (wow.)

holy wow. so, forgive me for being behind the ball on this one, but thank goddess i made it (not a typo). since i haven't really been doing my crafty duty in the real world - or virtual world, i guess (only on the homefront), i totally missed that this was on the horizon. lucky for me, it took place where i live = portland, oregon! i didn't make it there as soon as i had hoped, but i got there saturday and had to go back sunday. i have not smiled so hard in a long, long time. wow. (oops. i said that already, didn't i? it was just that good!)

now let's see if i can give an inkling of the fabulousness that was - i was all a-swoon, so it may be something of a blur. after a zombie-like pass through of the marketplace (actually i think i accidentally kept going the same route a few times looking for this specific shop...), i asked the people up front for help locating the yarnery. this was the place i went to buy yarn in college. it was the place i purchased an insane amount of encore to make marc a blanket (at the time, i thought he was allergic to wool - some sweaters just make him itch. oops). it's sort of like where i learned to knit, and i still have some patterns i bought from their stock of singles. sentiment aside, i still had a card with store credit - and things being how they are, well, the longshot of presenting this tattered card was within my capacity.

still good! i almost wept, i swear. and i almost bought up a skein of that bright green mohair that i made into a beret back in the day. that hat made everyone think my hair was lime green (it was purple, well blond then purple...then black. ahh, college). i put it back, cause i can actually get that yarn anywhere. what i did get were some awesome felted patterns, locally designed in mn and found online here: woollysomething i linked to the page with the patterns i picked, though she has many more. i chose the owl and the gnome + mushroom. and i couldn't resist running to my local yarn store (lys for those of you into it) with a frequent buyer gift card to get yarn for the owl and start knitting it up! yes, another project in the works... and not yet finished. hee hee.

so the next thing i remember (and i could be wrong here), i was dazzled by the display of spindles, next to a harry potter poster that made me think they might be magic wands. lo and behold, they are! not only that, there was an amazing sorceress spinning away nearby, and she actually taught me how to spin there on the spot. when i am blessed with more fortunes, i will be bringing my business back her way, because she was incredibly nice and wonderful and she had some absolutely beautiful fibers. you can check out her wares here: fiberoptic i can't thank her enough for taking the time to teach me!

so spindles, it turns out (ha!), are not only spinn-y. they are rather spendy! i kept trying a small (cheaper) one, but it wasn't working out, and kimber (fiber optic yarns, see above) told me that you would know when you found your spindle - maybe i would even like a turkish spindle that makes a ball with a center pull? whaaa? i was actually very attracted to one in particular, but went home to talk it over with marc and play the gamut sunday.

i ran into a friend from lll, whom i didn't know was a fiber artist, whose fibers i am also ogling! our babies (who are now more accurately described as boys, really) are close in age, so perhaps we will be able to connect again for a playdate (that *may* include wool...). her shop is here: knittedwit and she has a blog link there as well! it also just so happens that she connected with the lovely people of the yarnery, who are now carrying her fibers! yay! she also pointed me to a 'rock & rest' room where colden and i could take a break. he kept saying, "more yarn! more ladies! boys?" the boys were fewer and farther between, but we met some. we also did a quick viewing of the sock museum. i took pictures, but they're so inferior, that i won't share them, just visit the site.

at that point, it was clear that colden was pretty tired of being wrapped on my back, and we had to get out of there. on our way, i saw those infamous ravelers (jess & mary-heather, specifically), and was so struck i couldn't even say hi back. eek. then i saw the yarn harlot conversing with another sock summit team member that i probably should have recognized, and i was floored. i had no idea i would be so starstruck.

back on sunday, i went for the spindle with marc's permission. i checked out some others, and got some good advice from another spindle shopper. the people who attended were just about the nicest ever, and everyone said so. she advised me not to get one too small and i know she gave me more valuable advice that helped my decision-making. i also tagged along to see the turkish spindles: jenkins oh la la. if i had seen them first, i think i would have gone that way, but my heart already belonged to another. some day though...

here's a pic of me trying to test spindles out. i think you can see how crazily excited i am, and how over it colden is. thanks goes out to gail for taking this one and sending it to me. she takes beautiful photos and knits gorgeous socks (and other things too!), both of which can be viewed at her blog: weheartyarn

i don't seem to have a picture of the spindle, but you are sure to see it here in spinning adventures to come. right now all i have to spin is the rest of that beauteous camel/silk and some straight up white wool roving (though i am dipping my toes back in natural dyes again... so it could become something incredible too). the stats on the spindle, for anyone who might be into this sort of thing, are: whorl: 2 3/4; mulberry (israel) w/ ebony- inlay: silver - shaft: 10" goncalo alves - weight: 40 grm 1 1/4 ozs. - made by avi wasserman, hand-crafted dropspindles in israel. purchased atthefoldatmc (if you're looking, it has dots on it and is similar to 7, 14 and 15). intense, huh?

i also went back to the boys of laurelhill for a treat. i chose an ebony crochet hook, made from an old instrument. all of their fancy wood needles are made from salvaged finery - instruments, furniture. and beautiful. the double-pointed sock needles made of forest palm were slightly bendy, which could be advantageous if you end up sitting or stepping on your needles (ahem), but boy did it feel strange to knit with them!

you probably can't see all the great things in this booth below (city-knitting), but i took a picture hoping to get a good shot of their banner. each letter knit up differently in a really eye-catching and sweet sign. i actually bought a pattern for felted bootie/slippers, since i've made a few pair and haven't loved them. theirs looked solid. but they were really popular for their 'know your cuts of lamb' t-shirts (check out the site. so funny).

i didn't get pictures of many other things (like the aforementioned a verb for keeping warm), and i am sure i am missing many other wonderful conversations and booths and smiles. like the woman at berroco who photographed colden because he is the cutest baby ever - she said if we were on the east coast, he could definitely model for them. it was simply spectacular. and i didn't even attend classes, or the many other going-ons.

oh, and that goddess reference up top? well, none other than barbara walker was present. and as i was about to leave on sunday (having totally over-extended colden's good graces), whom should i see coming down the escalator? none other than barbara walker, inventor of ssk (slip slip knit), barbara walker, author of the skeptical feminist, barbara walker, author of restoring the goddess, and also author of the four knitting treasuries most well-known and widely used. i was scooping colden up, as he was trying to climb the descending escalator, and i locked eyes with her. did i smile? did i bow down? struck again, i gathered up colden and our things and walked dazedly out of the convention center. wow.

for the love of handwork

september is a wonderful month, isn't it? so many celebrations! this project was for one of my greatest handwork teachers thus far. i worked alongside her as an assistant and learned lots of essentials i didn't know before. pattern-reading, altering, creating, lots of handsewing stitches, how to really crochet shapes and hats, and how to teach these things too!

in other words, a tall order. she is expecting a baby girl (any day now they say), and red is her favorite color. this luxuriously soft cashmere sweater was destined for baby-wear, and i sewed the sleeves into pants in short order. i've kinda got that process down, but the sweater jacket was a little more challenging. i added some flowery vintage trim (25 cents at an estate sale) to cover my rough edges, and some sparkly buttons (also estate vintage) that looked similar to other things on ms. gloriana's wishlist.

i think it will probably fit a lot better at a year and a half than 0-3 m., but isn't it sweet? i intended to make a hat too, but ran out of time. i've had a lot of crafty deadlines lately, including an application for crafty wonderland (due today!), which we attended for the first(!) time on sunday. i can't believe i'd never gone. it was spectacular!!! and i'd love to share more about that too - but for now, i'll leave a little link to the things i submitted as part of my app, here at: byhandathome.com if you see something you like, let me know. i'm working on re-tooling my etsy shop and getting some things up there too. i'm happy to make things specifically to your liking, especially if you are a dear friend, which you probably are if you're reading this! and thank you for doing so, i appreciate it!

ray & michael

i had a few wild ideas for some handmade gifts for our friends' wedding. but true to my nature, i left the making of them until the last possible moment and crafted into the wee hours of the morning (just a few hours before we got to the airport). and marc even convinced me to take sewing along for the trip (but that is another project).

the first piece was inspired by another etsy seller (by way of janna) who makes cute little hearts with names in them for weddings. i personally don't dig hearts, so that was out. i actually went through tons and tons of ideas for other icons - i think i have 2 more canvases with drawings on each side AND many pages of notebook paper littered with designs. in the end, i went with some of my more abstract curliques (again with the curlies!). i love how it turned out:

i also glued a backing on, with some really old craft glue. so it isn't as nice as it could be. luckily, i have plans for another. at the wedding there were special kippahs for 'michael & ray's great adventure', and i can't pass up the opportunity to commemorate that, in the style they chose (complete with tree icon - i came close earlier with a leaf design! if only i had known!). so if you are a friend of ours getting married (*hint, hint*) and have an idea or icon - speak now or forever hold your peace or let me know later, cause i don't mind making lots of these. so fun! i'll take custom orders for your friends getting married too!

my other idea for a gift was a little out there, i realized, when i described it to anne. bendy pipe cleaner people wrapped in wool and needle-felted, with a super silky soft finishing layer of very special fiber. they are quite fabulous:

ray is one of my dearest oldest friends, and i actually hadn't met michael except through pictures. most of which were adorable photos of the two of them wrapped in each other's arms. after seeing those, i had to make these bendy people, who can spoon in as many ways as the real couple (a few wedding guests took care to point this out in a rather illustrative manner).

marc helped me lay the wool base on the pipe cleaners and needle felt it on a bit, then i took over shaping them more and finally wrapping with the extra special fiber. it is divine to the touch, and seemed just right for this endeavour (english spelling for ray). i bought it at the sock summit, entranced by its texture and the shop from which it came, a verb for keeping warm. here's the one. baby camel and silk tussah. *drool*

i was totally in love with all of the yarns and fibers from a verb for keeping warm because they are truly natural - dyed with nature. and there were lots of informative tidbits on history, how-to, and even dyestuff available. their logo is even curly! unfortunately, my budget was limited, so i will have to come back for some more fibery goodness another time.

oh, i didn't mention sock summit before? hmmm, sounds like another post...

happy wedding, michael & ray!

undone + done!

i did have this ready to post last wednesday, but things have been a little nutso around here. forgive the tardiness, please.

another project i can gleefully share from the mass of undone:

is now done:

yay! i accentuated the fact that this little cross-stitch of mine looks like a teddy bear. see? (bonus background - our yellow walls, and a dahlia from the front yard!) i didn't intend to make the bear, nor did i know i could achieve such a likeness! i was doodling a curli-que fountain as i did in paper margins in days of yore. this piece began in my waldorf teacher training, and was never finished because i was convinced i didn't have enough fabric to complete the fourth side (and make the fabric grain match) and the back. i will leave many a thing undone because their perfect end is not within my means (or so i think). anyway, i decided i could always put a denim back on, and then voila! there was just enough. it's kind of karmic to finish this one. i remember the teacher saying she never liked to let children leave work undone with her. so, phew! paid my dues, pin-cushion!

and colden helped:

("more wool, more wool!") he is extraordinary at stuffing.

the tip of the iceberg

i can already write this post with relief because i finished the project. well... nearly (hey, isn't that how you got a tower of 'to-do's in the first place?). true, but i could actually call it done as-is if i want. and i reserve the right to do so, should i be called to it. here it is, in all its undone glory:

i know you can tell from my clever styling exactly what this is meant to be. you've seen this type of toy everywhere, and nowadays more often than not they are knitted or crocheted. felted or straight up made from felt! play food! mine is crocheted, and i intend to felt it. i may or may not alter the design and make more of the same type.

i've already used this yarn (lamb's pride) for another felted toy (show-and-tell teaser: this one could also be considered play food, but it's not eaten by most people) and it still shows crocheted stitches pretty clearly. i did try knitting a little green pear with a pretty leftover bit of heathery green, but for some reason the shaping was eluding me and i frogged it (another unfinished project done!).

here's another pic of it all sewn up. i stuffed it with leftover wool bits. i've got a bag going of yarns ends and cut up sweater scraps that i've been using for stuffing. it especially rocks for these felted things since it felts too! and you know it took me all of one minute to finish it, right? after i tracked down scissors, needle, and stuffing. (did i mention we just moved? i swear things will soon be more organized).

i would really love to make this type of toy out of recycled materials as well. i think it could be done with sweaters. not that i'm about to embark upon that at this moment. that is another contributing factor to the mountain. so many ideas!

i'm off to install a basket near the washer in which i can place items that need felting. i was wanting to have such a spot in our last place, to encourage my felting prowess, and it is just the thing to inspire me now. the final step in completing this sweetheart. and if you check back, i promise to upload a picture of the felted version down here.

oh yeah, and while i'm at it, i'll wash a diaper load too. then i'll really be on my way to hot water washing felting goodness.

*update* here it is all felted up!:

and thanks to this post, i figured out that i went one whole week between diaper loads! huzzah!!!