Poppies and Milk

november :: big boy pants and rainy days...

nothing better than a completed pile of comfy pants for my boy!  i'm almost embarassed at how long these took to finish.  i had them on my sewing table complete with the exception of the hemming for months!  i used the old tracing trick for the pattern, using a pair of pants that fit him well.  i was totally inspired to use a real pattern, though, after seeing these pants yesterday!  gives me hope for making even bigger boy pants!  i noticed with my daughter's last round of pants that the fit gets trickier as they get older... 

i knew that i needed to use this guitar fabric and elijah chose the little red fabric.  i had been saving that for a "rainy day" but this seemed like the perfect pairing.  

two pairs made from his old receiving blankets. soft flannel... 

and another flannel pair from some anna maria fabric i had leftover from this project.  

and two very important pairs of "pirate pants" made from some organic knit fabric. 

putting them to the test one rainy october day, we were inside doing yoga with these cards (so wonderful!!) 

eden just happened to be wearing some of her mama-made comfies also... 

i love the partner yoga poses in this deck! 

"lizard on a rock" i think this one is called!

and then of course they start making up their own poses... 

best simple rainy day soup: barley, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, garlic, tamari (and a little kale on occasion). perfect. 

swatching for my aidez with THIS amazing yarn...  (this was a taken a couple weeks ago.  all i have left to do are the sleeves!)

and a little yarn along action this week.  just finished this ribbed beanie for a friend with some madelinetosh chunky in graphite.  this is totally my go-to pattern for beanies now.  K2, P1 makes for a nice ribbing and it also looks cool inside out.  

as for the books, I am just starting to read both of them.  the simplicity parenting book is great- was recommended by countless friends and i am really learning from it.  some of what he has to say seems obvious, but some of the content is surprising and new.  the second book, encountering the self, was recommended reading by my daughter's 3rd grade teacher.  not too far into it yet as tom has been reading it also, but it is so far giving some amazing insight into the "9 year change".  

so glad it is now november.  deep into autumn, chilly mornings and nights, beautiful colors and soulful sunsets...

october :: felted flute case & other fancy fibers...

Finally!  I am posting photos of this great little felted flute bag!  a modification of shelley's felted flute/recorder bag. 

i doubled the width to accommodate her pentatonic & soprano combination recorder.  

i love how it came out!  it is a perfect fit and the colors look so much better together than i had expected!  thanks again, shelley! 

yarn :: malabrigo merino worsted in velvet grapes and amoroso

ravelry link 

joining in the yarn along with ginny today, i could not stop knitting this weekend!  i completed about half of this sweater for my boy and am waiting on the rest of the yarn (under-ordered again...) to finish it up.  i am making another placket neck pullover  with raglan sleeves from last minute knitted gifts for elijah but in a much larger size than his first.  it may actually be too big for him to wear for a while as i played with gauge again and think i over-estimated some modifications... oh well, he will be doing nothing but growing, right?  I am doing the body in this charcoal color and the sleeves will be plum and light grey striped.  cross fingers on the striping... 

and this book!  wow.  makes me grateful, sad and thoughtful all at once.  i cant explain the feeling of reading a book written in the voice of a hopeful, matter-of-fact child who is living through a life of grit and hardcore day to day reality.  it makes my heart ache and i keep almost needing to stop reading it, but i cant seem to.  i just take breaks.  i think i am particularly sensitive to anything related to children being affected by their parent's dysfunctionality (if that is even a word).  i am about halfway through.  let's see if i make it all the way...

 some soft goodness arrived in the mail this week.  i love this osprey yarn, but these heathers colors are SO nice!  here are kumlien's gull & sabine.

 and iceland.  i think i like it more because Pam at Quince & Co. is just SO sweet! (and of course the fact that it comes all the way from Maine.  sigh...) 

 trying out some Hemp for Knitting AllHemp6 100% hemp yarn in charcoal and deep sea.  planning on making some dishcloths that are resistant to mildew (unlike the cotton ones that i have knit in the past).  wonder if anyone out there has tried this yarn for this purpose before? cant wait to see if it works... 

 more malabrigo rasta in zarzamora... 

 some malabrigo merino worsted in saphire green.  eden plans to be medusa for halloween so we are going to finger knit and felt some snakes for her hair... wish us luck! 

 and one of the better discoveries of this month:  madelinetosh chunky.  this color is tern. 

september :: traveling woman shawl

catching up on some knitting project sharing... this is the fanciest thing i have ever knit up and it was really fun!  i have been doing a lot of sweaters and felted things that require rows and rows (and endless rows...) of stockinette in the round and this pattern was such a joyful break from all of those knit stitches!  this was made as a gift for my daughter's class teacher at the end of last school year (yes, friends, before the summer...) and i am really happy with the results.  

 

i also should note that though i have knitted many, many things... this is the first item that i have actually blocked correctly!  (the others were just sort of ironed with steam and sent on their way...) I may have to block correctly from now on because i have to admit that it shaped well and held it's form beautifully after correct blocking! 

details:

pattern : traveling woman

yarn: madelinetosh sock :: baltic

ravelry link

as far as the reading has been going for me, though i dont have any photos of the lovely library books i have been into, i have really been enjoying Sarah Addison Allen's books lately.  I started with The Girl Who Chased the Moon, took a brief hiatus to read The Orchard (a sweet, well written novel by Jeffrey Stepakoff), then read Garden Spells and am currently starting The Sugar Queen.  I still have The Peach Keeper to go and might need to savor that one as it is her last so far.  Her writing is light and mixes life, a little bit of magic and of course some love.  I also read Falling Home at the start of the summer after reading The Help and both were good (The Help was really good!).  I am just glad that after 3 years of not really reading fiction, I am into that groove of picking up a novel at the end of the day rather than turning to the computer (as much!) for movies, shows or other online distractions... Dont get me wrong, i still like to watch good things, but reading is much more calming for me these days when i can savor the silence and soak in some storytime of my own... 

may :: spring garden and a little fiber...

spending so much time in the garden with this amazing spring weather... i love sprinkling our garden full of little treasures also... 

this one was very into planting seeds this year.  hoping the chickens wont eat them all... 

if you notice the wire at the base of this photo, you can picture what my vegetable garden looks like now.  lots of chicken proofing in hopes of some good veggies for us this year rather than them!  

in bloom again... 

found this in the shed... 

one of my favorite perennials... yarrow.

my growing boy got his very own tool this year. 

put in new english lavender since the spanish lavender got really woody underneath... 

always running. 

finally reattached the slide! 

and joining ginny this week with a WIP of a felted water bottle carrier for eden.  no more toting around the kleen kanteen.  now her hands can be free to play! i plan to make the long strap version.  

and this book!  well, i just got it so i will let you know how it goes!  so far, it is great!  really puts into perspective all of the warnings our society has placed on SO MANY THINGS!  I know there are dangerous things out there, but if our kids never get to realize and learn how things work and how to control and operate and experience these dangerous things, they will be far less empowered.  at least in my humble opinion... more on this later.  

 

january :: toasties and the twin lens dress.

so, clearly from these shots, i hate getting my photo taken.  much more natural for me to be behind the lens... but, alas, i will indulge a couple of you who wanted to see the dress i made this weekend. and to show off my new favorite accessory.  

first, the dress.  stretchy, velvety baby corduroy.  took the "pattern" from another favorite dress i made out of stretchy dark denim (which was drawn up from a favorite dress i didnt make, but i used that dress as the pattern maker... sorry, cant be more specific than that.) learned that dresses are not made in just two parts (i learned that with the last one, this one was far less painful of a sewing experience.  dont need to get into details of ripping and resewing for the first!) so, bodice was three pieces, body was three pieces and two straps criss-crossed in the back.  i made this dress because one of my students gave me this amazing twin lens camera patch for my birthday and i knew i had to put it somewhere that i would love and use all the time.  of course i built a dress around the coolest patch ever.  i had to.  so far, this dress is now on the top of my wearing list.  super comfy, soft, stretchy for biking, black (of course, black) and well, the patch... 

and, the final view of the toasties which wouldnt quit (seriously) striping and double pointed needles... though these would never end.  but i am really glad i made them this long.  i tend to get hot and cold and hot and cold.  (might have something to do with riding my bike a lot and usually having wet hair when i ride to and from places, etc. or possibly just my general indecisive nature...) anyway, i like that they are cozy like a sweater so i can take them off when i am hot, put them on when i am cold, but it doesnt involve a whole sweater, etc. get the idea?  i originally made them with spring (or spring-like weather which we have been having lately) and crisp summer (which we have in the bay area) biking.  with a t-shirt, when i get warm, take them off... so, the modifications i made to the original toasty pattern were to make them super long and to do a folded cuff at the ends.  i got that idea from the Jane hat that i made recently.  i love the folded (and sewn...) cuff.  it makes them stay up on their own without rolling down (since they are so long, that is key for me so i dont have to stop and pull them up while biking).  so, in all their long, lanky glory, here they are... 

and speaking of Jane, here is a glimpse of a new one i am starting for my mom.  she has blue blue eyes, so i like how this color will look on her.  i call it her blue eyed jane.  the yarn is punta yarns merisoft hand painted aran (which i think knits up like a worsted- extremely comparable to malabrigo merino worsted- in fact i mixed the two together in the last Jane.) 

and finally, my yarn along for the week... and a book!  can you believe it!  i have been reading!  (or should i say, finding time to read... amazing what you can do when you disconnect yourself from the computer...) i really love reading the words of photographers.  so often you only get the images, which are great (!!), but the process -mentally, not just the technical details- is what makes my gears turn and fills me with inspiration.  so far, her words are incredible.  

on the needles:  my foxy felicity.  yarn is madelinetosh vintage (of course) in silver fox.  the felicity pattern seems really great for a thin slouchy hat.  casting on 100 as my gauge was a little smaller than pattern calls for and everyone seems to think that casting on more is good as i guess it runs a little small?  we shall see... 

november :: on the needles and new yarn love!

Just one of many handknits on the needles these days... I have been in "hat mode" lately (tune in tomorrow...) as I can knit them up as quickly as the days get colder.  Trying some fun patterns this year rather than just the made-up patterns I usually do (basic roll caps and ribbed caps) and am having fun with pattern and stitch variety.  Hats are a great way to try out new techniques without totally making a commitment (or just trying out a few fun designs without worrying about too much time invested if they are funny looking...)

Playing along with Ginny today, photographing what is on the needles with what I have read this week.  Novels are hard to follow for me these days as I am a slow reader and would much rather knit many nights than pick up a book.  So, a little light reading for me here paired with a Jane hat that I am knitting for someone special (shhh...) The folded double thick brim is SO cozy - might have to make one up for me one of these days... 

Also sharing what is about to get on my needles (some sooner, some later).  I am still stuck on the Tosh Vintage.  I cant help it.  It is just so good and the colors... mmmmm... I do have projects for all of the skeins I buy, I am not just starting a collection- promise! ;) 

madelinetosh vintage in amber trinket

so good... this will be a part of a striped sweater for me...

madelinetosh vintage in tern- the base color for a Turn A Square hat for Tom.

and THIS!  so good, it deserves two photos.  malabrigo rasta in piedras.

No problems keeping busy over here! 

{if you want details on any projects, feel free to check my ravelry...}

october :: energetic, eventful, industrious, purposeful, lively and engaged

These are the words that came up when I looked up "busy" in the thesaurus.  Much more colorful of a description of what is going on at our house that simply saying "busy" in my opinion! This post is an eclectic mix of what life looks like (and feels like!) over here right now...

evidence of the late autumn flower burst in the garden

her inquisitive nature: exploring plant colors all on her own... 

all from the garden (except for the carrot on which she was snacking at the time...)

SO many great seasonal books from the library!  

yet another impromptu apple harvest.  our tree is very productive this year and they actually taste good!

big WIP pile- stocking up my shop in preparation for the holidays.  thinking about sharing a table at our school's winter faire... 

new shoes!  love.

made 24 comets for the michaelmas play...

made some extra for super-charged backyard shenanigans...

those colors... these are so fun to make and to play with!

(used Cindy's tutorial.  thanks!)

a sweet little trade...

she deemed this to be the "longest fingerknit ever"

and played with it for a good hour straight. (it works perfectly as a jumprope!)

finally using this amazing handspun... 

(and finally using the handknit holidays book I have checked out from the library 3 times now!)

Autumn is in the air... so good. 

 

may :: a quick look at a new treasure

Gosh, where do I start?  I am in love with this tiny little book.  It is written by hand, illustrated beautifully on each page, and the tone of the book is as though I am talking frankly with a good friend who is giving it to me straight.  

The book is divided into three main parts ::

 Health & First Aid {everything from tinctures, salves and tonics to dental issues, PMS & anxiety}

Non-Toxic Cleaning and Body Care {whole house care including drain openers, etc. shampoos, scrubs, toners and other skin care & a great chart on how to choose the right herbs for your particular skin type}

Gardening {when to plant, what to plant, who to plant next to each other, composting 101 and seedling tips}

I love this book because it is easy to pick up and read a little bit here and there and get a good amount of knowledge that I will actually remember rather than to read a whole chapter and then still have to look up the important points again.  It is, for lack of a better word, efficient.  Cute & efficient.  

And yes, I did purchase this particular gem.  My local library did not have it and none of the 10 neighboring libraries had it.  What a stroke of great luck that I had to bring it home.  I can pretty much guarantee that this will never be going into the Green Apple pile of books to sell.

{Check out Molly's new post on our new blog (our journey toward) a non-disposable life.  We have decided to post on different days to keep things more lively... (and also because it fits better with our super busy lives!) If you were following us on Typepad, please sign up to re-follow us as we moved the blog to it's own home -it was rooming with me for a while.  If you visited there via our other link or even bookmarked us, you could never tell that we moved.  We still have the same website:  www.nondisposablelife.com  We are tricky like that... ;)   If you are interested in sharing on our blog, please leave a comment there letting us know.}

may :: library love and some gratitude...

Ah, so nice to be back in this space... with the new project I have been working on, the workshops I have been planning locally, the tutorials I have been writing, not to mention all of the cooking I have been doing (!), sewing to fulfill a few orders from my shop, knitting (always have to find time for that) and, oh yeah, my full time job...whew.  Needless to say, I have not been daily with my postings in recent days...  I love this space so much because I can write about whatever I want.  In my own time. It is both a release and a connection for me.  I missed it after just a few days... 

So, since embarking on our non-disposable crusade, I have decided to stop buying books unless they are second hand or so rare that no library or second hand store would carry them (yes, there are a couple...) and, you know I love the library, but now, since I actually have been keeping a wish list of all of the books I want to read for myself as well as the kids, it is so much more fun!  I have an Amazon shopping cart (I like their way of marketing as long as I don't actually have to buy them all - you know "People who bought that, also bought this... and this... ad infinitum) and just keep an active list of what I want to read.  (Ironically, I just started a booklist from Indiebound on the sidebar there...) 

 Anyway, (are you still reading?)  I just wanted to share some of my recent library finds. (I was thinking that I would start doing this as a regular thing... and maybe you can share some of your favorites with me?)  So, I am sure you have read or even own many of these books, but some are new finds for me and I am really happy with them all.  I am having some serious Alice Waters love lately (thanks to Molly) and will share some of the recipe success I have with her later... 

And these are great finds for the little ones as well.  I love going through the piles and piles of great children's books at my local library.  I always find things I would have never thought to look for... and my littles completely devour each and every book that walks through our door!

I also am feeling grateful for my family.  I love finding little scenes around the house as evidence of their existence and play. 

 I love that my daughter is an adventurer (though her falling out of the apple tree today and getting her foot stuck in a branch on the way down scared the daylights out of me to say the least... ) and that my son is so spirited and such a love.  Really, a big bundle of hug-love.  He loves his sister so much and just likes to follow her and be around her, and is very active and spritely in his play and song.  He tries to keep up with her in all ways... so sweet!

And grateful for these girls!  Look how big they are getting!  If you see a new face in there, it is our new little girl, Marigold.  We brought our flock number back up to four after our little tragedy and everyone is getting along really well.  She is a Golden Campine, by the way.  It is so neat to watch the flock dynamics- something really new for all of us!  They really do have each their own mannerisms and ways of interacting.  They all have their special and unique roles in the chick family! 

And finally, feeling huge amounts of gratitude for coming upon a scene like this one on a late afternoon after a long and tiring day...

Happy Monday to you! 

april :: a raw & {absolute} favorite recipe

Kale and I have always been the best of friends.  I can just eat a bit ol' pile of steamy naked kale and call it dinner.  

A couple of years ago, I found another way to love kale...

 

"WInter Meets Spring" Raw Kale Salad

2 heads of finely chopped raw Kale (I usually use "Dino") 

1/8 cup raw sesame seeds

1/8 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/8 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tbsp chili flakes (you can use your judgement with this amount)

Juice of 3 {Meyer} Lemons

1/4-1/3 cup olive oil

3-4 tbsp Tamari (more or less to your taste)

{Though I didn't use it in this batch, I usually add a handful of Arame.  I soak it first.  Adds more goodness...}

 

Mix all ingredients up really well and let it sit for a few minutes before you eat it.  Be prepared to be hooked... 

Seriously my favorite thing to eat!  It makes me feel so alive inside! {Especially when I turn up the volume on the chili flakes...}

And wouldn't you know, while I was making this...

 {yes, that is a masking tape crown made with a blueberry leaf feather... made by miss E for little e}

...my dynamic duo decided to make their own!