The Soul of Craft

The days grow short. Outside chores still beckon but so do inside diversions. I will have to finalize the list of items that will make-up this year's handmade holidays. But in the meantime, materials need to be organized.

So I set to work, on a rainy day, on this seasonal chore. Knitting needles are scattered throughout the house. They do not always find there way into their needle case after use. I need to account for them so I can get some of my work done. I have a pile of kid craft supplies that has yet to find a permanent home since we moved. I have decided to put them on a shelf in the living room. But this shelf was the home to my knitting books and magazines, so they too will have to find a new home. A Halloween costume needs to be constructed but the bin of fabric stash was put in the crawl space behind the pile of fleece that still needs to be processed. Some of the washed fleece sits in a basket near my rocking chair and some of the carded fleece is in another basket. But the the pile of washed is still greater than the carded. I have big plans for this and have to make some more time for this. An accounting of yarn is on the to-do list in order to see if I can make some projects without buying materials. Money is tight but we still want to be giving.


The whole time I am gathering, sorting and setting right, my hands are laid upon gifts from my grandmother. It was she who passed on this crafting legacy to me. The needle case is made of blue felt and ribbon. It was filled with her double pointed knitting needles and it was given to me when she passed away. When I remove the binder of patterns off the shelf the small notebook of index cards, she used to keep patterns for basic mittens and hats in, falls to the floor. I am reminded of all those mittens she used to make for us as kids: the too brilliant red sweater she made for me when I was in highschool, the afghans that I put on our beds every fall. I remember sweet calico shorts and tops she made for me when I went to camp, as I try my hand at making Evan's clothes on my trusty treadle sewing machine.

She tried to teach me to knit when I was a child but without much success. But I did learn to crochet and embroider from her. I have memories of sitting at her sewing machine to make dolls clothes. She was never as fond of knitting as I am now. It was a utilitarian craft for her. But she did love to crochet. I am fortunate to have a crocheted doily she made grace my dresser.


My grandmother would share a story with me sometimes. Her mother walked into my grandmother's kitchen one day and admonished her for having a sink full of dirty dishes. My great- grandmother was the sort of housekeeper who ironed sheets. Instead of cleaning her kitchen my grandmother was sitting at her kitchen table knitting a pair of mittens. In response to her mother's lecture of good housekeeping my grandmother said,"It is more important that my children have mittens right now than clean dishes." Go Nana!

I am grateful to be able to use some of the same tools that she used. The silent magic of creating something with your own hands is a gift that I came to at a time in my life when I needed to learn how to be still. Now I can walk around my home and see rugs that warm my floors. My children walk out the door in wool caps I have made them. The essence of my love for my family is woven into the fabric of these garments. It says be warm, be safe.

Tristan turns 18 today. 18! How does something like this happen?

Today he is spending the first of what he hopes to be many weekends at the New England School of Metal work. He is taking a blacksmithing class to make some of the tools he will need to use while smithing. He has been busy writing an essay and filling out scholarship applications to the school so he can perfect his skills. He is looking at some community colleges so he can get welding certified. He is in the process of getting his GED so he can fulfill the welding goal. He also wants to take a metal sculpture class at the Maine College of Art.

When he gets back we will go downtown to get him registered to vote and get him registered for selective service. We waited for him to get his license until he was 18. So this week he also needs to take his permit test.

This boy is going places. I could not be prouder.

There were times during our homeschool adventure that I was not sure if it would all fall into place. He is a quiet kid. His math skills could be stronger. On the other hand when he seizes upon something he wants to learn he tries to learn everything there is to know about it. To see him when he is at work at the forge and to see how his skill has grown over the last year, I am confident that he will do okay with whatever he wants to do.

Having said all this I have to share a story...

This weekend away from home is the first weekend where he is responsible for himself for the complete 4 days. He has gone away to camp and stuff but that was with adult supervision. The school has a dorm with a kitchen so he can prepare his own meals. So he had to write a grocery list for himself and go shopping for what he needed. I paid for it but I thought I would leave it up to him. I did offer guidance in terms of thinking about what he should have on his list. Stuff like oh, I don't know ...vegetables, easy to prepare meals, since it would probably just have a small kitchen and he would be sharing it with his classmates. So the other day we head to the grocery store. He picks up a small basket and starts wandering around the store. I catch glimpses of him reading labels, putting things in his basket. We meet in the dairy section where I find that his basket has a fair assortment of healthy food. But when I asked what sort of green vegetable he got he showed me some celery;) When I pointed out that although it is green I was not sure if I was sufficiently green enough to constitute a green vegetable.

His response, " Green is green"

Okay, so, now I know that in future care packages that I send him he will require some kale:)

This moment....

By hand...

Evan and I sat down with needle and thread to embroider. We are finally getting some rain and find ourselves indoors. I had some aida cloth. He chose the colors, I thread the blunt needle, made a knot to keep it together for him. Then he set to work. I would finish the last stitch and fasten it for him. Before beginning another color.

Such a look of concentration. It was a amazing to watch him at work. He would turn his work back and forth making sure to have the needle enter on the right side as the thread so that it did not get wrapped the wrong way.

This was his final product. Jackson Pollack with thread:) I think I will try drawing a little truck for him to try next time. Evan is all about wheels:)

I finished Evan's playmat. It was my first real quilting project. I wanted it to reflect the world he knows. So there are hills, lakes, rivers, dirt roads, trees and farms. It was a lot of fun to make!

Swimming in a sea of sap

We are inundated with maple sap! Ten gallons of sap a day for 8 days equals 2 gallons of syrup. The weather is cooperating. Frosty nights and warm days. This amount of sap at one time is a a first for us. This is our third year sugaring and we've never had to handle this much sap at once. We hope it keeps flowing for a few more days so we can beat our prior syrup savings of 2 gallons.
And when we are not feed flames and straining the days collections we sit and work on a new rug ...in the sun! Look at those hard working farm lady hands....:)

In the mail this week.

So I've been touting the joys of Paperback Book Swap. and I just had to share this AWESOME book that came in the mail this week. Okay, maybe just awesome to me but I thought the knitters out there would find this cool.

Some of the patterns are very utilitarian and will not need any updates.
Others could use just a little less fringe

And others well, they are just awesome. I've been thinking of making myself a pair of knee socks, or stockings but I saw these and thought these would keep me warm, and I can still wear a skirt in winter.

I've got to go for a walk this morning and will have the food post later today.

On a quiet Sunday morning

I admit to be a little self indulgent this morning. I slept til' 8 this morning while Dad and the little boy sat at the kitchen table playing with trucks and homemade playdough. When I arose I thought I could really use some quiet, Sunday morning handwork.

The boys went off to church and I sat with some music and a little luscious, brilliant, recycled handwork. Joyful, Joyful...

These colors collected randomly from old jersey sheets and scrap jersey fabric just speak Spring to me. I had originally collected some grays and faded blues to go with it but this rug just wants to be bright. I think it will go in our bedroom and I will save the other fabrics for a kitchen rug where chance food stains won't fade its cheerfulness. Although I may have some issues with walking on something so pretty;)

This and That

Thrift store score! 2 dozen canning jars for 4.00! Okay, I am easily pleased with a canning jar deal. Simple woman. Simple Pleasures;)

A basket of thrifted jersey sheets and fabric. Soon to be a rug.
Paperback Books swapped and gracing my mailbox this week. We love Duck:)
Gratuitous kitty photo of Lily cat.

Baggin' it!

Well, it has been a few days into the New Year and I am putting into practice my One Small Change. For this month I have chosen to forgo all plastic bags. This past weekend I realized that one of the reasons I may be forgetting my bags is that I have had them for a long time. I've accrued them over the years from thrift stores, donations to good causes. They are stained, holey and some of the handles have broken off. So Hubby and I put our collective creativity together and made some new bags.

Hubby repurposed the feed bag into a grocery bag. We have a few more of this sort of plastic weave bag around and will be making a few more.

I made the patchwork bag to hold my knitting ( which has been christened by a water bottle some little person put in it while we were about today). All the materials for the patchwork were from stash, old jeans and finds from yard sales. I also put a tool pocket inside the bag for easy reach of the tools I use most often.

Wee one wanted a new bag too. His library bag was also well worn out, so he got a new one for the new year. I think Scruffer kitty would like one too!

So today was the first chance I have had to remember the bags. I went to Marden's, a salvage store, for .75 fat quarters for more patchwork. While digging in my wallet for the cash to pay, I heard the clerk open a plastic bag. I told her that I did not need a bag and I added that it was a New Year's resolution to stop using plastic bags ( gotta spread the word;). We went to the healthfood store next and I used a cloth bag there as well. I think that it is easier to remember to use my bags when I go to the grocery store but I have a tendency to forget when I go to other retailers.

I also made a linen bread bag for keeping homemade bread in. I had an old linen table cloth that had been stained by one feast too many and saw this idea at Soule Mama. I am still a novice at the sewing machine but I am having a blast with the process. Next project is to make some take-a-long produce bags. Oh and all those old bags, well, they will be mended and patched because they are still useful!

More homemade Christmas...

Handknit socks for teen. There was an appreciaitve oh! when he put them on and then he wore them three days straight. His birthday is this month so I will make him another pair and maybe they won't be so ripe when they hit the laundry basket;)
I made this pencil case for the teen. He is an aspiring artist. His pencils were kept in a tin. I thought that if he had the case he could take them with his sketch book when he goes for wanders.
I made a couple of draft snakes for my aunt and my friend Louise. These were very fun to make. I used scraps of fabric I had in my stash.

This was the best handmade Christmas present. The wee one and I found this wooden truck at the GoodWill last spring. It was dirty, its bumper looked like a dog had chewed it and it was missing its back wheels. All summer and fall it sat on Hubby's work bench. Hubby wanted to fix it up for him but time and circumstance conspired to keep it gathering dust on the bench. Hubby has had 2 weeks off. His first weekend home he set to work planning how to revitalize this great truck. Hubby worked on the wheels and worried that wee one would care about the difference in wheels. I assured him that he will be so happy that his dad fixed the truck for him that he will not care about the particular wheels. Wee one was VERY happy.

Independence Day Challenge Year 2, The 10th week

Busy, Busy , Busy...

We've had still more rain. But we did manage to have some sun for a couple of days.  During that time we spent in the yard trying to get a month's worth of weeding done in one day. Oy! We also did a  crazy amount of laundry. We do not have a dryer and so we need the sunny days to dry our laundry. Haven't been too many good drying days. WE are still on blight watch of the potato patch and tomato plants. I've applied copper and will have to apply more later this week when (supposedly) the weather dries out.  We need Heat and Sun.  

I have been knitting a custom sweater for a client. The one advantage of the rain is that I do not feel as though I am losing out on the good weather while I while away the hours on a very big green sweater.

Moving plans are moving along. We have several folks interested in our land. We hope to use the proceeds from the sale as a down payment on a new home. We are making lists of things that need to be done at our house to have it ready to put on the market.  But until we have folks interested in the house I will worry..it's what I do...

Meanwhile I keep busy...

Plant: I had some empty spots so I planted more tomato plants, and a bee balm. I planted more carrots. I am thinking that if I stays cool I will plant more spinach when the peas are done. 

Harvested: comfrey, yarrow, lettuce, strawberries, peas, basil, beet greens, scallions, garlic scapes, broccoli,

Preserved: 8 1/2 pits strawberry jam, 3 pints dehydrated strawberries, 5 quarts frozen rhubarb,

Eat the food: My little guy is finally eating green foods.  A daily dose of broccoli with a smattering of green pea.  Whoo Hoo! Strawberry short cake, strawberry with our granola, strawberry ...just cause they are there. Local chicken. Plenty of salads.

manage reserves/ prepped: weeding, applying copper to spuds, plenty of packing and deep cleaning.

Local foods: We went strawberry picking. I think we will go back this week to put a few more in the freezer.  The local farm also has pea picking. The peas are slow to ripen here, so I think that a few quarts to supplement what we are growing would be prudent.  

Getting Crafty!

This is the sweater I finished for Hubby. Merry Belated Christmas Sweety!  It is knit in PeaceFleece ( local fiber) and looks very nice on him. Although I think it will be a while before I knit a whole garment in Double Moss stitch.  Hubby has never received a handmade sweater from me. Usually he gets machine knit.  So for Christmas he received a bag of wool and a promise.  
This is the beginning of a sweater for myself.  But given that it is partly cabled it may take a while.  I find that I can only do this during nap time or I mess up the cable.  Distraction is the bane of this pattern. The cable will go along the bottom and then it is knit straight up. So as soon as I reach  21 inches of cable it should work up quickly.
This is the beginning of a penny rug. I took the class this past weekend at my favorite Local yarn Store. I still need to finish it but it is fun and works up quickly.  Just what I need...another hobby.  But there are several things I would like to make up for the kids for Christmas so I needed to learn some new skills.
Speaking of new skills.  I have conquered, mastered, accomplished my first sewing project.  This is the teen with his new pair of PJ bottoms that I made ALL BY MYSELF.  The fabric was 1.99 at Goodwill and the pattern was 1.99 at Joann's .  I made them on my treadle sewing machine.  Low Carbon Foot Print PJ's! There is always the question whether there is any savings by making your own clothes. Fabric ( or yarn) can be expensive.   Sometimes it is worth spending a little something to provide a garment that one could not otherwise afford and will have lasting quality. A hand knitted sweater would be much more expensive if I had bought it from someone.  And a new pair of Pj bottoms would not have cost 4.00.
This is a little something I made for the wee one for next Christmas.  Winters are long here. There will not be much time after the snow melts off the garden, the canners get dusted off and fair season takes over to think about handmade for Christmas.  I usually find I am knitting day and night during the month of December for other people (hired knitter) and that my near and dears end up with bags of wool and a promise.  So I am trying to do a little every month.

All this creative activity seems to help keep the winter blues and mud season ick away. 

With all the doom and gloom that is out there, I think and hope that a return to hand made is seen as an affordable alternative for folks.  Building up skills  ( even it is just how to patch a pair of pants or sew on a button) has to be a better alternative than throwing something in the landfill or replacing something that might  still have some life in it.  When belts are tightening, it is easy to think that we have to deprive ourselves. But  knowing how to create something does not have to mean taking on expensive equipment or expensive materials.   I bought the yarn for my hubby's and my sweater through a yarn buying co-op.  It saved me 50% over retail.

4$ pjamas and the pride of doing it myself...

Need I say more?