Category — Life in General

study time isn't complete without a hot cup of joe

School is back in session which means that a considerable amount of my time is spent reading and writing. This semester, I’m taking a class that has, so far, been really interesting and thought-provoking: Science and Spirituality. The opening discussion was about science and religion and whether they were mutually exclusive or integrated. Good stuff!

It’s online, which means that I don’t have to spend two hours total driving to class and back (major bonus in the winter!) but I do have to spend a lot of time on the message board. Wow, whoever thought that all of my online slacking skills would be put to such good use?

finished handspun sock yarn

Despite being back in school, I did manage to ply and dry the latest falkland singles I had on my wheel. It came out as a nice fingering weight (exactly 450 yards/100g) and I can’t wait to cast on some socks with it! There are still some places that are underspun/underplied -I am still very much a student of spinning- but all-in-all, I’m pleased. It did take FOREVER to be plied though! There will be no navajo-plied sample of this yarn because for once I actually finished both bobbins within mere inches of each other. That has got to be a sign of improvement!

my new loom and some hand-dyed yarns

My loom came today! My boys were both home sick from school, but they were well enough to help me figure out the warping process, and actually helped me quite a lot! One managed the yarn ball to be sure that there were no tangles, and the other used the hook to thread the heddle. I haven’t had much luck getting the older boy interested in any of my crafty pursuits, but he showed a genuine interest in weaving. I cannot express how happy that makes me!

My first project is well under way. It is definitely a first project. There are skipped threads and uneven selvedges, but that’s ok. This is how we learn- and honestly, I think it’s the wonder of discovering and pride of learning a new skill that motivates me more than anything in my crafty pursuits.

the beginning of my first handwoven cloth

It was a lot of money to invest in something that I had never done before, but somehow I just knew that I would love it. And I do. I’m so glad that I found this hardly-used loom!

I’m hoping that by the end of this project, I will have mastered some basic skills. I’m looking forward to taking this project off the loom, finishing it, and then being able to observe the progression of my abilities from beginning to end. I’ll wear it with pride; skipped threads, loose selvedges and all, because it represents the time I spent learning this new, wonderful craft.

On another note- my boys and I watched the inaguaration today. I was overcome with a wonderful sense of pride of my country and hope for our future. Good on us, America!

My baby. Can you really be six years old?

Daddy wanted to name you Connor. I wanted Liam. Since I named your brother, I deferred to Dad. After you were wrapped up and settled down, he looked at you and said “Yep- he’s a Liam”. He’ll never tell if he was just being nice to me, but I’m very happy he decided that way. It was 20 degrees below zero the day we brought you home.

You are so much your mommy’s boy. We both love chocolate above all else, and we’ve both got serious spunk. There are many times that I feel like I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with your stubbornness, but inside I’m secretly proud. Nobody will ever push you around.

making a nbedele house

Despite all of your willfulness, you are an incredibly sweet and empathic boy. When you were just two years old you looked at me and asked “Mommy, are you frustrated?” You are always the first to give a hug or a reassuring pat on the arm when somebody is having a hard time. In that way, you are so much like your big brother. The two of you fight and argue as any young brothers will do, but you love each other deeply. As you both grow and mature, you are finding many things that you enjoy doing together. I know that in your adult years you will be friends as well as brothers.

building with star wars legos

You love your monster trucks, legos, and cars (all eight billion of them) and you also love to make things. I love to watch you concentrate as you draw, color and cut. You are a serious artist! You also love to help your Daddy with his mechanical projects- and you really understand how things work! That, my little one, you get from your Daddy. he was disassembling toasters at your age. It was a few years, however, before he could put them back together! Please don’t get any ideas. I’d rather not buy a new toaster.

I always wanted a boy and a girl, but I would not trade my second little boy for anything. The moment I met you, I couldn’t imagine life without you. Thank you for being my baby.

It’s cold. Really cold. Unbelievably cold. I’m a Vermonter, I know all about cold. But this is beyond what we’re used to. This is positively frigid.

What can we do when it’s this cold? Not much, really. We can thaw and repair frozen water pipes (that’s what my poor husband was doing at 6:30 this morning) pray that our cars will start, and that our furnaces won’t quit. Luckily for us, we have a woodstove that we heat with, so no danger of that quitting on us. However, when you heat your house with a single central source, the rest of the house stays pretty cold.

We’ll be doing a lot of huddling and snuggling today, I think.

my handspun thorpe

It will come as no surprise, given the weather, that I have been focused on hats. Warm hats that cover delicate ears and the backs of necks. I, my friends, have been on a hat knitting frenzy! It all started (as things often do with me) with a photo in my flickr contacts. One of them was working on a thorpe. Now, as I mentioned in my last post, this particular hat has been in my plans but seeing hers looking so lovely and warm made me want to cast one on immediately. Which I did. That evening, I had a beautiful, warm new hat!

This hat was made with some of my very first handspun. I honestly wasn’t crazy about the colors in the yarn but I think they’re lovely in the finished hat. That little coil beside it is all of the yarn that was left after the project- about a yard. That’s my idea of a well- planned project! (Coming clean here- I didn’t plan at all. I just figured if I ran out I’d pick up with some natural bulky I had in my stash!)

So when my boys (all three including my husband) saw my finished hat, they all wanted one too! That evening I cast on for the littlest one (who turns 6 tomorrow!) an orange and brown one that followed the colorwork pattern. It is so adorable. And of course the best part is that he loves it too! He insisted on wearing it to school and didn’t want to take it off when we got there. How that warms a mother’s heart. I haven’t had time to get a good photo, but I will absolutely try to get one this weekend. It’s too darn cute not to share!

I’ve got a green and blue on the needles for oldest boy, then a black and blue in plans for my husband. This really is a terrific pattern- functional, nice-looking and super-quick to knit!

In other news, I have a Schacht Flip 20″ rigid heddle loom on its way to me as I type. With any luck, it will be here tomorrow and I’ll have the weekend to get acquainted with it.

Stay warm, everyone!

Happy Saturday! We’re having a cozy stay-inside day of playing games, reading books and making cookies because it’s too darn cold to go outside and play! I wanted to let you all know that I’ll be updating my shop tomorrow, probably some time in the morning most likely in the late afternoon.

Other than that, I’ll be working on my socks (I’m at the heel now- yay!) and working on this:

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Welcome to my new blog! In the spirit of the new year and in light of a tumultuous 2008, I’ve decided to start my blog anew.

Why am I calling this blog My Handmade Life? For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a maker. I love making things- beautiful and useful things. When I’ve finished a project, it’s not just about how pretty or well-made it is, it’s knowing that it will serve a purpose- keeping belongings safe, clothing clean or little fingers warm.

I read Alice Walker’s Everyday Use in a college course years ago, and it has always stuck with me. It is about two African American sisters. The elder moves away and becomes “cultured” while the younger stays home with her mother and continues to live in the traditional ways of their family. When the elder sister returns, she wants to take her family’s heirlooms back to the city and treat them as priceless artifacts. The younger prefers to continue using them as her family always has. In the end, the mother decides to let the younger sister keep them because she will put them to everyday use, as was intended by their makers.

This Christmas, while furiously knitting to finish all of my gifts on time, (I didn’t quite make it) something occurred to me. I have sent so many of my handmade objects out into the world as sales or as gifts, but I haven’t made many things for everyday use in my own home. This year, I am resolving to change that. In fact, I’m going to try to change a few things this year:

• Create more objects for our home (quilts, towels, aprons, etc.)
• Create more objects for ourselves and our kids (clothing, toys, etc)
• Blog at least twice a week
• Be better about documenting my projects with photos
• Have a vegetable, herb and flower garden- however small or fruitless (sadly, I’ve never had a green thumb)
• Donate at least ten handmade items to a charity like Dulaan.

Whether I make any progress on these goals is yet to be seen, but I hope to spend a satisfying year trying, and sharing my experiences here. Since I do run two crafty businesses, you’ll also see occasional business updates, but they won’t be the primary focus here.

Here’s to 2009!