Sunday, November 22, 2009

we are heading to the woods for thanksgiving week and then after that, anna and i are heading to the big apple to visit my sister ( i feel very brave to be attempting such a trip!) all this to say- i am taking a bit of a blogging leave and letting you know ahead of time.

just wanted to leave you with a picture of a less picturesque moment here: i am being covered in stickers while feeding anna while trying to knit at the same time-- ridiculous!


happy thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

my atelier

i am beside myself to present you with my studio space! we are now using our basement for more than just storage and beer brewing. i finally have a home for all my creative endeavors-- and believe me, i know how very blessed i am to have such a space! i have two wonderful work tables from ikea-- one of which is height adjustable. that feature comes in handy now for cutting fabric, it doesn't hurt your back as it would to stand over a standard height table for long periods of time.... for now fabric is my medium (easy to pick up and put down at a moment's notice or baby's cry, as the case may be). later, when children are in school and i have longer periods of time to myself, i know i will get back into pottery and painting- and this space will most definitely accommodate such pursuits. i read a fair amount of a fascinating book while in college ; "the poetics of space: the classic look at how we experience intimate places" was an interesting delve into the different kinds of spaces and how they influence us. well, i am loving how my studio down in the basement-- in the belly of the house... one quote from the book about cellars : "there, secrets are pondered, projects are prepared. and, underneath the earth, action gets under way. we are really in the intimate space of underground maneuvers." well- these days there are an awful lot of "projects being prepared" in our basement (cellar).notice hints of a play area in the foreground... and children's play area, that is... the whole thing is a "play area" for me ;-)
here is my space-- arranged in a "u" shape, great for sewing, cutting and ironing ( which i have lately realized is so very important in sewing)

and here is the excellent sewing book by my favorite fabric designer that has taught me so much about sewing! and has some very fun patterns.... i highly recommend it!


------ on a side note, when i was looking back through "the poetics of space" i found a nice quote--"Over-picturesqueness in a house can conceal its intimacy. this is also true in life." how true how true!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

mama made

indulge me in one more shot of anna wearing the pumpkin hat... what a pumpkin!
here are some red shoes i made for her... like all of the shoes i make, they are lined with wool, so they are cozy, warm, and breathable... and above all--- fun and funky! i have a longstanding love of red shoes.. i even had my bridesmaids wear them even though their dresses weren't even red ;-) ... so of course my little lady needed some her size.
and here is another pair of cozy mama made shoes. ( also note the cute rick-rack hem of the dress )
now, let it be known: i may make a lot of things, but my house is not very well kept, and my car is a total mess... and i don't ever watch tv.

Monday, November 16, 2009

speaking of food

here are the classic " first food" pictures. she had a lot of fun discovering all the sensations of broccoli, and some of it actually made it into her mouth!

she also ate some baby food from a spoon, but where is the fun in that?


speaking of food: the blog- "smitten kitchen" has a delicious recipe for pumpkin bread pudding... it is very easy and very yummy!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

6 months (and a half)

here are some of the pictures i took of anna on her six month birthday. now she is halfway to 7 months-- oh my! she has really turned into a different kind of baby: sitting up on her own... eating solids... and i know y'all will think i'm crazy, but sometimes when she is crying she'll cry "mmm" and i really think, since she hears Elisha saying it all the time, she is crying "mama"!here is my happy girl wearing the first dress i have made (i learned that following a pattern is easier than making up your own! ;-)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

a mother's reprieve


what helps me put my brain back together the best of all after a day of mommy madness?
i'm sure everyone has the own recipe for coping... i have to say that i have lately found a delightful combo. i am really enjoying knitting hats while listening to jane austen... i love to read (and austen novels best of all) and knitting is so nice and calming... the repetitive nature helps release stress- i'm convinced. maybe b/c i am in a phase of life where my 'multi task' mode has to be on most all of the time, i now find that even when i am having "down time" i feel the need to multi task... it isn't enough to just enjoy one thing at a time...

ps-- the pic is of anna's sweet head in my first hat... the pumpkin hat is a bit big this year, but that just means she can wear it for years to come. the wool is soo wonderfully soft! it is purewool from Uruguay. it is a risky buy b/you have to wait months... literally months for it to arrive, unless you want to pay for fed ex shipping instead... and most of all you have to pick the colors from photos online which can be deceiving--- and their dye lots are extremely variable. but if you love the look and feel of minimally processed wool and you don't want to pay double digits per skein--- this is the way to go!

pps- i'm still working on that slide show issue-- any flickr folks feel free to give tips... or anyone w/ a free slide show host-- i'm very open to suggestions. and as anna was actually just 6 months, i'll need to get that slide show done too!