Can you read my writing? It’s a bit dodgy isn’t it?
I have thoroughly enjoyed Lori’s African Journals - so much so I had to start one of my own. Just day-to-day journals… and I thought I would occasionally scan them in for you all to read.
Anyways… I had a fabulous Mother’s Day this past Sunday. Did you?
Have you seen the newest Country Living?
I was absolutely thrilled when my copy came into my mail box. Finally an issue I could truly relate to.
I love the Country Living magazine and look forward to it every month, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes I get rather disappointed because the home owners have just gone to “such and such” upscale antique shop and purchased “thus and so” and put it into their home.
This issue contained home owners I could relate to and ge me ideas I could do ASAP rather than wait for my bank account to grow bigger.
It was the Knox home in North Carolina that made me really squeal with delight. Emily did some of the things that I have wanted to do but didn’t have the guts to do…. namely rip up old dirty carpet and paint the plywood floor beneath. Yes! She did it and it looks great. After pouring money into our upstairs two years ago for mold remediation and hardwood floors it will be quite a while before we put anymore hardwood in. But with allergies it is hard to be on the floor with John…. so I have received the green light from my husband to rip out the carpet in the play room and paint the plywood!
Thank you Emily Knox!
The next thing that Emily did that I must do is recover her couch and chairs in painter’s drop cloths from the hardware store rather than pay expensive prices for linen material. Loved the idea! I’m a terrible seamstress… but I really want to do this. And… I actually have a very simuliar couch and chairs I snagged off of Craig’slist for $50.
So.. my hat is off to Country Living for a spectacular issue and to Emily & Michael Knox for showing us how to have a truly handmade home!
It’s that time of year again – my birthday. Another excuse to gather friends and family and have a party.
My garden decided to give me a gift the morning of my birthday. I was so excited to find the first rose of the season had bloomed! Isn’t that fun?
I asked John if he wanted to smell the rose. “Sure.” He said and promptly began to blow on it. Didn’t know you could smell flowers by blowing on them. Made me laugh so hard. I think he got a little confused after hearing me say it was my “birthday rose.”
Then it was off to the gardens for a birthday lunch. Last year it was raining so hard we had to have the lunch at Heather’s house.
Heather made some scrumptious Coronation Chicken Salad (Yes, we’re getting ready for the Jubilee celebration in June). I can’t find the recipe she used, but let me tell you, it was spectacular.
And the cake! Did you see the cake? It was a Champagne cake with lemon curd, whipped cream, pineapple flowers and blackberries. Several people had seconds it was that good!
The little people were entertained with another Easter egg hunt and then begged us to play with them.
I love these photos of John and Laura interacting – or not. They treat one another as siblings. In other words… they fight a bit. It’s sooooo funny!
John really enjoyed having his very own Auntie A there.
What a fun memory!
One of the things that I remember about my childhood Easters are new dresses. My dad didn’t allow us to participate in Easter egg hunts or have Easter baskets but my mom, for whom Easter egg hunts and baskets were a part of her childhood, would always try to make us new dresses and a hat for Easter Sunday.
My favorite was a pink calico dress with little lace trim and a straw hat with a matching ribbon.
When was out on my own I would buy myself a new hat for Easter. (Yes, I adore hats.)
Now that I have my own little guy not only do I plan an Easter egg hunt for him and the cousins and an Easter basket but a new little something to wear is a must.
This year I made a little cotton vest and matching bow tie. The bow tie was sooooo much fun to make and hardly took anytime at all I plan on making a few more for Sundays. ( Lil J wore my outfit for Palm Sunday and an outfit his grandma purchased for him for Easter Sunday. But I did go ahead and make another tie for his Easter outfit. They are too much fun to make. )
I thought you all would have fun making them for your little ones so here is the pattern:
Bow Tie
Berroco Weekend i.e. cotton worsted weight yarn
US #7 needles
Tapetry needle
safety pin to secure neckband at back of collar
Co 10 sts.
Row 1: K
Row 2: K
Row 3: K
Row 4: K2, p6, k2
Repeat rows 3 &4 until piece measure 4″ from co edge to needles.
Row 5: K
Row 6: K
Row 7: K
Row 8: Bo in purl
Bow Tie Center
Co 3 sts and work 6 rows of garter stitch, bo 3 sts.
Neckband
co 3 sts and work in garter stitch for 11 – 12″ (depending on the collar size of your little one)
Using the tapestry needle and a piece of cotton, sew a running stitch up the center of the bow tie to gather it. Wrap the Bow tie center around the gathered section and sew the bow tie center together at the back. Find the mid point of the neck band and sew it onto the bow tie in the back. Steam lightly with a steam iron.
Note: the vest is my own pattern. If you are looking for a good substitute try Summer Vest by Tot Toppers
JK is reading me The Girl with a Pearl Earring while I knit at night. I’ve enjoyed it so far. I can relate to the descriptions of washing and ironing and scrubbing. Why do I find it so comforting to know that those menial tasks are so normal and have been part of life for centuries? We’ll see though… I am getting the feeling that the book is going to take a turn and I’m not going to like what is around the next corner.
Joining with Ginny…
Holidays, Inspiration, Knitting, Mothering, Patterns | 
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Rain was trickling through the branches of our beautiful pear tree this morning as I made the family’s morning pot of oatmeal.
It is breathtaking in it’s garments of simple white flowers.
Last night we ate dinner out on the deck. Little white petals showered down upon us, sometimes sprinkling our food, other times falling at our feet.
“Is it snowing?” Lil John asked. How sweet! Yes, it was “snowing” spring snow – petals and the heavy scent of blooms.
I love the simplicity of childhood – it’s full of discovery and imagination.
I hope you all have a very relaxing weekend. Lil John has a terrible cough and runny nose so we plan to stay put and read lots of books.
If you are looking for some “free” patterns hop on over to Small Things. There’s a giveaway. And… if you don’t want to wait to find out if you won the giveaway there is a 25% off coupon for any CCKnits pattern purchase (only through the weekend)
happy knitting!
PS: for those of you who read the Small Things interview with me and are wondering about my mom and sister’s talent you can find them here and here. We’ve finally banded together to start a new project which you can see here!
Hello, Friends!
Today I have a brilliant new online shop to tell you about. It is 308 Maple Street and is a co-op of sorts of (at this point) four different artists selling their handmade items.
One of the things I really miss about shopping online is the personal flavor and feel of a physical brick and mortar shop. You know – how the shop owner sets up the shop and displays various items. How you can pick up the items and look at them a little more closely. The one frustrating thing about a physical shop is you don’t often get to hear how the item came about or what inspiration sparked the flame in the artist to create the item you are looking at.
308 Maple Street combines the look and feel of a physical shop with the detail and story of the item you often get on handmade sites.
So go ahead, browse through the shop and it’s various rooms. Perhaps you’ll find a bit of beauty for you and your home!
Please note that 308 does not take any commission or charge the artists any fee. All proceeds from the sale of the items listed go directly to the individual artists.
I have been invited to attend a terrarium party tomorrow. Isn’t that exciting? I’m really looking forward to it. So much so that I’ve been talking about it rather a lot this week. Funny, isn’t it… things that you are excited about tend to get a lot of “talk time.”
But I have learned some very interesting things. When I told my mother about my excitement she said, “Oh, yes. I used to make terrariums. My Aunt always had a large terrarium on the coffee table and it was quite interesting to watch it grow.”
When the warm weather brought us all out of our houses this past week, my neighbor and I stood chatting on the sidewalk in the sunshine. I mentioned that I was going to a terrarium party on Saturday and she mentioned, “Oh, my mother was always so good at terrariums and usually had one around the house. She would get tree frogs and place them in the arrangements. ”
I thought it was rather interesting to hear about the terrarium experiences of others. But all this talk made me really, really eager to go to this terrarium party and make my own…. so eager that, well, I gave in to my whims and put together a “make do” terrarium. “Just until I make my real terrarium.” I said to myself.
John and I pulled on our rubber boots, gathered a cake stand with a dome and a trowel and marched off to the mossiest spot of our yard. He loved digging in the dirt for a moment but then found some sticks to play with until he went on a hunt for Pooh Bear and Piglet in the woods. I contented myself to arranging bits of moss and stone until I had something that looked decent.
And now our “Made-do” terrarium is sitting on my kitchen table, basking in the sunshine. John and I peer at it during meal times, wondering what will grow, what will blossom and what it will become.
Now I can’t wait to make my “real one”.
At several of the last gatherings I’ve been to lately the topic of ,”What are your favorite blogs?” would eventually surface.
It’s rather fun to ask your friends. Some times you find that your friends read the same blogs and some times they lead you to discover a new one that you have never read before.
At one particular tea we all promised to send an email out with our top favorites. Well, you know how it is, one forgets, one gets busy, life pushes into the way.
Instead I thought I would list them here so that you all can check them out. Perhaps a few of them are your favorites already.
#1: Attic 24
Technically this is a crochet blog. But it is such a favorite of mine. Oh, my. Just a moment on Attic 24 can give me so much color inspiration. Lucy is a master painter with color. Her chatter about her family and her home life is also encouraging because it is so similar to my own.
#2: Do you mind if I Knit?
Don’t you just love that name? And haven’t you found yourself asking that same question of your friends? Vanessa Caban is a talented illustrator. In fact you may have read your child one of her books. I know I have. But her knitting…ah, there I loose myself… and her knitted dresses… some day I will knit myself more dresses.
#3 Curlew Country
I love Curlew Country’s outings with her children and family - oh, I could just live in those wonderful outing into the English countryside. They inspire me to get out into the nature around me.
#4 Posie Gets Cozy
I really appreciate Alicia’s simple take on knitting. It is refreshing, almost grounding. There is also something so comforting in seeing the simple aspects of knitting.
#5 Knitspot
Anne Hanson is a wonder at productivity. I love her blog because I can always count on a post. (Unlike spotty me). Her garden posts mark my summer days and encourage me along in my own garden.
#6 Lori times five
Lori is a recent discovery and I have enjoyed her photography and her knitting. The pictures of beach knitting make me want to fly away to the beach.
#7 Small Things
Ginny’s blog reminds me that life is simple so keep it simple. It is such a great blessing to be reminded of this fact. Her yarn alongs every Wednesday have become something I really look forward to.
#8 Blackberry Rambles
My sister’s blog. Even though we talk every day and live only 12 minutes away from each other there are aspects of her life that I miss and discover on her blog. It is always a treat to read and an inspiration – well, she’s always been an inspiration to me – you know, the big sis that can do everything amazingly well.
#9 Soule Mama
Another blog that I love right now. There is something about her quietness, her joy she finds in her children and her simple knitting that soothes me. As a mom it is so helpful to hear other mothers talk about life with children.
#10 Needled
Kate Davies, isn’t she marvelous? The things she has been through and the things she has accomplished. I love it because her story is a story of strength and beauty. She uses the beauty of knitting and her designs to weave a tale of hope and that to me is quite inspiring.
What about you? Do you read some of these blogs? What are your favorites? Perhaps you have a few to introduce us to.
Hello Friends!
I wanted to get this posted yesterday… but Lil John was under the weather again with a runny nose. Ugh.. being two is hard. Not only are you learning a million things a minute but your immune system is getting conditioned and knocked about. Poor little guy.
We had a lot of “car road” time and “pooh-bear” time yesterday. All the cars drive to “Gimmie’s House” where they eat apples and play with Gimmie and Papa. And Pooh-bear is a “silly-bear” who sometimes plays cars too. Oh, my – it’s fun to see John’s imagination.
The Rag Bag Cardi is almost finished! I can’t believe it. It has been so fast to knit – I think that is because it is so much fun to knit stripes.
I added some lace panels to the bottom. I think it adds a bit of contrast and interest to the piece.
I can’t wait to get the front band on and to give it a good bath and blocking session. Hopefully early next week we’ll have a ta-dah post!
Also, I do think bright stripes are a must for January knitting from now on out. It was so happy and fun to knit during the rather quiet month. It added such brightness and happiness to knit with happy colors…
I wrote this post a little over a week ago but never got around to posting it. But I thought you would enjoy my reflections on a January Tea even if it is a little after the fact.
Today was a perfect January day. The temperatures outside were bitter and biting. The snow on the ground glittered and crunched under your feet.
John and I worked on chores and rewarded ourselves with a “project.” He chose the colors and car. I did the sewing while he watched, fascinated, on a chair beside me.
After lunch we packed the car up and headed off through the woods and over the resevoir to the cousins’ house where we spent our afternoon. Tea was savored – four kinds in fact, books were discussed, crazy events were laughed over, finished projects were displayed and current projects were worked on… all while the wind whistled and blew outside.
Yes, today was a perfect January day.
