A tomten in our home

One of Lucy's very favorite books this winter is The Tomten and the Fox. Tidying up a cabinet recently, I came across this gorgeous fox I'd gotten once at a tag sale, and was inspired to make her a tomten to go with it.

I'm just figuring out the wonderful world of craft supplies, and am working out kinks like paint pens bleeding on the wood, and tan paint coming out greyish. (I need to figure these things out soon, as I have big peg-people plans for Lucy's birthday next month.) But overall, I'm pretty thrilled with how he came out.

Lucy is too. (Here she is playing with him before the glue on his beard has even dried.)

Yarn along: tying up loose ends

I finished two crochet projects yesterday! (Well, almost; just need to weave in ends.)

I finally did the sock-monkey coffee-cozy I'd intended for a Christmas gift for my sister. (It got bumped for her birthday next week.) Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to fit an actual take-out cup! (Not without spilled coffee everywhere.) It's awfully cute, though. Shoot. (Edited to add: it fits!)

And I finished my purple cardiff cowl. Next up is Lucy's matching one, by request, and then I'm going to move on to something other than cowls (I've made 5 of these since Thanksgiving!)

I'm reading a bit of fluff at the moment, because I just finished something horrifying. I'm also reading All Together Singing in the Kitchen, written by local musicians/former parent-in-my-classroom/Lucy's infant music teachers Katryna and Nerissa Neilds. Like me, they were raised in a musical home, with parents who made music and instruments all around, and it really shaped who they are. I've just begun the book, but I can tell already it's going to be inspiring and useful. (There are little ideas that are so obvious, but somehow I hadn't thought of them. Like sitting at the piano, playing a note, and playing match-the-note, singing it with your child. Lucy loves to play at the piano, and would enjoy a simple game like that.)

What are you working on? Check out Ginny's yarn along for more inspiration.

Yarn along: even more cowls

I've finally finished all my Christmas crochet projects, and it's time for one for me. I've been wearing the not-good-enough-for-a-gift cardiff cowl a lot, and have been wanting to make myself some more scarves for wearing all day as part of an outfit (not just for outdoors). I'd made my wool-sensitive sister a cotton-and-cashmere version, and loved it so much, I decided to make myself the same one. (And Lucy's requested a smaller matching one for herself.)

After the first version of this cowl, I learned to do a foundation single crochet, which made subsequent ones so much nicer (I love the helpful comments on ravelry for tips like that). I'm terribly slow at it and not very tidy yet, but I'm getting there. Meanwhile, I'm still reading Astrid and Veronika, which is turning out to be just the right pace for Christmas vacation.

Now that I can reveal the past month's work, here's one of the finished cowls, made as a gift for a friend:

And, if you're interested in that kind of thing, here's the ravelry link for the replacement red one I made for my sister.

I'm joining in to Ginny's Yarn Along. There's lots more yarn-and-book inspiration there!

The perfect gift

There are many stories to tell this Christmas, but for now, here's just this quick one--the story of a girl and her bike. I'd suspected that Lucy was just about ready for a balance bike (truly a brilliant invention!), and had my heart set on a Skuut, but for various reasons, we went with this sturdier style. I'd worried because I thought it was ugly, because it wasn't exactly the one I'd thought I wanted, because it wasn't a lovingly mama-made gift. But, oh, the joy! It turned out to be the perfect thing. She rode it Christmas morning, and again in the afternoon, and the next day, and today all the way to the post office. She's already starting to experiment with lifting her feet to glide, and you can see the glee on her face. "I'm always riding my new bike. Because I'm loving it."

What an incredible thrill to give a gift that brings such joy!

Yarn along: beginnings

Haven't much to show for the yarn-along today, just beginnings. I finished The Girl Who Fell from the Sky (which I liked, but didn't love like the reviews made me expect I would), and I think Astrid and Veronika will be next (for the simple reasons that I love the cover and it starts in dark winter, which seems just right about now. Choosing books is an odd process, isn't it?) I've also finished my last (secret) crochet project, and next in my queue is this coffee cozy for my sock-monkey-loving sister. I don't have much time for either crochet or reading at the moment, but only one more work day and a couple days of cleaning and wrapping, and then I'm on vacation for a week! I'll be hanging out with family and--I hope--crocheting a lot as we chat.

14th activity of Advent: wrapping gifts

Well, let's get a start, anyway.

Here are a few wrapped, but not yet done up with bows and tags (that part comes after bedtime, when I can concentrate). The poor lighting doesn't show it well, but these packages are spectacular. For wrapping paper this year, we're using our vast collection of Lucy's paintings and drawings from the past year (with her permission). I don't think we've ever had such beautiful gift wrap!

For a while, Lucy helped to choose each piece of wrap and to apply the tape to the gifts. Then she moved on to creating "a road" with tape and the discarded pieces of paper I'd cut off.

Everything is more fun this Christmas season, with this cheerful, chatty helper by my side.

Yarn along: cowl factory

Joining in to Ginny's yarn along again today. Not a lot of reading going on this week (though I'm still enjoying this book when I get a spare moment). It's been all late nights and freezing fingers outdoors while I crochet cowls, cowls, cowls. Here's the latest, finished at midnight last night. This one's a gift for my sister, who can't abide anything even slightly itchy, so it's made with cotton/cashmere yarn that feels oh, so yummy! (I may be making a second in January for myself...). Back to work; there are lots of gifts yet to make!

12th activity of Advent: a goat and some bees

This morning's Advent-calendar tag required some explanation. For many of them, Lucy's been able to "read" the illustration, but she seemed a bit baffled about this one: "it's got a chicken on it?"

Each year, we make a donation to the Heifer Project, but of course Lucy doesn't know that. We thought it would be nice to have her opinion this year as we made our decision about what to "buy": chickens? bees? a water buffalo? a camel? At two months shy of three, Lucy is very generous and thoughtful, and is absolutely ready to participate in such decisions.

I love talking with her about things. At first, she thought we should buy a lamb. (The first thing in the catalog.) I encouraged her to look at everything first, and then decide. As we looked through, she was curious about what each animal was for, asking questions like "does a water buffalo have udders like a cow so they can milk it?" We talked about wool, milk, eggs, manure. She thought we ought to buy a camel. (What a fun idea, isn't it?) I explained that we couldn't afford a whole camel, and asked if she thought we should contribute money toward one, or find something we could pay for completely. Like me, she felt most satisfied knowing we'd "bought" something concrete. (They actually put your money where it's most needed, but it's fun to think you've decided.) So then she chose a goat. I've always wanted a goat, so I liked that plan, too. And I always like to buy chickens and bees, so I gave her the choice, and she chose bees. So it's settled: a goat and some bees. Pretty satisfying, for a family whose focus is so much on local food.

This year, we're also making an additional donation, here. Flower Patch Farmgirl is one of those bloggers I love to read: she makes me think, makes me laugh out loud (which is very hard to do!), and I can't get enough of those cute kids. She and I approach religion in very different ways, but I really respect her faith and conviction, and when she says she want to build a well, I know she'll do it. And I want to help.

I love making this choice a part of our Advent activities. It's a good way to keep the emphasis on giving, rather than on getting. And boy, is it extra fun when your two-year-old helps. Isn't everything?

Yarn along: practice runs

I finished the cardiff cowl I've been crocheting this week, and it's embarrassingly wonky. I'd thought it would be a gift, but I'm going to keep it for myself, as it's wearable, but clearly a beginner's project (the bottom half is all stretched-out with extra stitches and mistakes; the top half is straight and lovely.) I spent a ridiculous amount of time last night trying to figure out how to do a foundation stitch rather than a chain for the next one--I love everything about this cowl except for the tight chain in the middle. Now I'm hoping I have the skills to make the next one better (and much faster, as I'm now one gift behind where I thought I'd be!)

For a quick in-between project, I began work today on some crochet hair ties for stocking stuffers. I'm making some little flowers from a pattern in Crochet Adorned, which I plan to attach to hair elastics for cute ponytail decorations. My fingers feel awfully huge for that tiny hook, but I'm hoping I'll get the hang of it soon.

So I haven't actually created many gifts yet, but let's just call these practice runs for the real thing.

I'm reading The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow. I've just barely started it, but ooh, it's good so far! On our recent trip to Boston, we lucked out at the thrift store, finding a huge heap of good-looking books. I grabbed this one because I vaguely remembered reading good reviews of it, and because Barbara Kingsolver gave the blurb for the cover, but I didn't know anything more than that (the advantage of books under a dollar is you can judge a book by its cover without much risk!). A bad time of year to start a good book, though; I find myself thinking "read? make gifts? read? make gifts?"

See what others are reading and creating at Ginny's Yarn Along.

6th activity of Advent: St. Nicholas' Day

Here are our shoes, late last night, after I filled them. We've maintained some mystery about how they get filled, but Lucy is very adept at figuring out what's "real" and "pretend." When she asked me, as we set out our shoes, if Sinterklaas coming was pretend, I said yes. She seemed fine with that answer, as it fit her view of the world. But somehow, the magic of childhood always takes over. This morning, upon seeing the filled shoes, she asked "Why did he put those in our shoes? Did you see him come? Maybe you were cleaning. Maybe you were still putting me to bed." I love it.

I love this even more: "Mama, yours doesn't have anything special under the grapefruit! Why? If you want, you can have one of my honey sticks." Honey sticks are one of her very favorite treats, and she'd received two. By the time she realized my shoes didn't have much in them, she'd already eaten one, but still offered me the other. She's always that generous. Wow. (Not to worry; Sinterklaas returned later with a bit of candy for Mama.)

Her attitude suited the mood of the day perfectly: giving.

We quickly made up the new-and-improved cookies before the kids arrived this morning.

I assembled simple packages of cookies and a flower made with some of Lucy's painted-coffee-filter art.

And then this evening, we set off in the drizzling rain to leave our anonymous surprises at our neighbors' doors. What fun we had, knocking on the door and then run, run, running away! Most of the neighbors were not home, and when they open the door, they'll have no idea that it was St. Nicholas' Day today, but it doesn't matter. It was joyful, and meaningful to us, and I think it's bound to be a tradition for us in coming years.

Happy Saint Nicholas' Day!

Yarn along: easy reading and tricky crochet

We're having a sick day here--all of us with fevers--so I'll keep this brief. But I did want to share a project with the Yarn-Along, as I'm so happy to be crocheting again! The Christmas-gift bug has hit! I'm making (and unmaking, and making again) a Cardiff Cowl. For some reason, I'm finding this pattern a bit tricky to follow, and have ripped out and started again several times. But I'm loving the look, and the yarn is fabulous, so I still have high hopes. If it works, there will be more.

I'm reading something very unusual for me, a suspense novel: Every Secret Thing, by Laura Lippman. Too much going on right now for "serious" reading.

The photo was taken on the picnic table, as it's been unseasonably warm this week and I've been crocheting while the kids play outside!

Craft Friday

Once upon a time, we hosted regular craft parties, getting together with friends to make gifts. In recent years we've had a hard time finding time to do it, but keep saying we want to. Deb, of Bee's Nest, had a great idea: "craft Friday" (rather than Black Friday). I love the idea of getting a head start while it's still November, and of bucking the system by crafting rather than buying on that day. I read about it too late to plan and invite friends, but it's on the agenda for next year, for sure. In the meantime, Lucy and I held our own private craft Friday today.

We spent the morning in the studio (in our pajamas and bed-head, an advantage of no guests). She painted, drew with watercolor pencils, mixed paint colors, and drew on the overhead projector while I transformed some of her past year's art into gifts for relatives and friends.

It was a wonderful way to spend the morning, and now I'm off to a good gift-making start. (I'll show these off with a better photo later.)

Did you make anything today?

Galloping and spinning horses for an almost-2-year-old

Tomorrow is Lucy's birthday, but we've already begun celebrating, because she has so many people who want to celebrate with her, and it's so hard to have a relaxed birthday celebration if you have to cram it all in after work midweek. We didn't want to do a big party, but chose instead to have individual time with each of her special people. So Sunday, we spent the day with her Granny, saw a couple of friends for brief drop-by visits, and later had a visit and dinner with her aunt, uncle, and cousins.

I spent Saturday on her cake--my first major decorative baking attempt. First came the cookies--many, many horse cookies. (This was our first try at piping cookie frosting.) We made lots so we could have two special treats: the cake on the weekend and on her actual birthday, the extra cookies.

Then, Saturday night after Lucy went to bed, we prepped the dining room: setting out her crown and garland, her cards and gifts, photos of her as she's grown, and her cake. I've been so inspired by all the Waldorf-y birthdays I see on various blogs with a special table set for the birthday child. It seems like such a low-key, relaxed, special way to honor the occasion. We're loving it as our new birthday tradition. Here's her chair, waiting for her with her crown and the stick horse I've been working on, complete and ready to ride.

(I pretty much followed the directions in Creative Play for Your Toddler, with just a few tweaks. A great book, by the way! I'm thrilled with this horse.)

You can see that Lucy loved it, too.

(I'd love to share--but for modesty's sake, won't--the most joyful pictures of the day: Lucy and her horse galloping wildly around the island, pre-bath, totally nude.)

And here's the finished cake, of which I'm ridiculously proud:

Lucy loves carousels; they were a highlight of her year. So my mom suggested a carousel cake. The brainstorming began around Christmas time: how to make the roof? the horses? the poles? where would the candles go? what kind of cake? (I settled on a yellow cake with lemon frosting and blueberry-jam filling; mmm!) Our friend Tim came up with the brilliant plan of a lazy susan, so the carousel actually turned:

It was a lovely day; quiet and special and Lucy-paced. Perfect.

Tomorrow, she's two. Two!

Yarn Along 13

I'm joining in to Ginny's Yarn Along again today, although it's a stretch to call my latest project crochet. I'm chaining and braiding reins for the stick horse I'm making Lucy for her birthday.

I finished One Thousand White Women (great read!), moved on to The Red Garden (wonderful!), and have started The Book Thief, so it's no wonder I have little crochet to show!

Check out the links at Ginny's blog for more reading and yarn inspiration!

Almost 2...

Tick, tick, tick...the clock's counting down to Lucy's 2nd birthday.
I've got a few things in the works for this carousel-loving birthday girl...

Gifts, revealed: Lucy's sling

Lucy's been very interested in dolls lately, and having been a sling-worn baby herself, she of course asks me to tie those dolls up in a scarf so she can wear them, too. So a child-sized sling was an obvious Christmas gift.

For some reason, I struggled with the construction of this one. Can't tell you how many times I stitch-ripped and re-sewed this thing! But in the end, I'm happy with it (though I think I should have made it a bit bigger, or at least a bit stretchy).

It's reversible--one side is this blue silk-y former curtain, and the other is a blue floral vintage sheet, last seen here.

Lucy is not about to slow down long enough for a photo, so we have to settle for these in-action ones. And check out her sweater--that's the Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan Andi made for her (we were lucky enough to get an early version of the toddler pattern). It is so gorgeous!

Gifts, revealed: homemade books

In the wee hours of the night on Christmas Eve, I finally got to a present I'd been meaning to make Lucy for months now:

Remember her love for carousels? It has carried on for months, as she asks for the story of the carousel rides over and over, and often retells the story herself in her journal (more on that later).

So I finally used one of my favorite blank books to put together a simple book about her three first carousel rides. (No affiliation, just a fan.)

Handwritten and quickly assembled, it's not particularly beautiful. But it's definitely one of the most-requested books around here lately.

It's not the only handmade book she received this Christmas. We got a package of gifts from our dear friends in Boston, and one of them was an amazing little book from the 9-year-old in the family:

It's personalized in such a thoughtful way. From the bird characters, reflecting their shared passion, to the little white bonnet worn by the Lucy bird, to the names of the characters (Lucy's cats, her cousins...),

to the hammock Lucy bird sleeps in,

and the stuffed seagull toy--every detail is special to Lucy.

We were in awe of Sarah's creation, and took it to our extended family Christmas celebration to share with everyone.

(Gotta love the back cover! Sarah's written many books, and has her own imprint.)

Gifts, revealed: copycat doily bowls and oat floats

Just before Christmas, I read a blog post which added some things to my already-too-long gift-making list. But it was worth it! Heather had made such lovely and simple gifts, I knew I had to copy them! Here are my versions.

Doily bowls made from vintage doilies stiffened with epsom salts.

(I have to admit I kept more of these than I gave as gifts.)

And "oat floats"--packets (sewn from an old pair of linen pants) full of oats and lavender (from our garden), like a big tea bag for your bath.

Thanks for the great gift ideas, Heather!

Gifts, revealed: ornmaments

As I described last year, it's our old tradition that I give Andi an ornament each Christmas, symbolic of that year, and our new tradition to do the same for Lucy. It was so much fun this year, decorating the tree and telling Lucy about each of our ornaments. She showed every visitor to our house her special ornaments, explaining who'd given each one. Pure joy.

So, this year...

I struggled to think of the perfect ornament for Andi. It's been a hard year, full of exhaustion and personal struggles. In the end, I settled on a wish for the new year:

A simple pillow, embroidered with a hope for "rest" and a heart on the back, stuffed with lavender for rest and rosemary for remembrance. (I'd show a picture of it on the tree, but it seems to have disappeared to wherever the cats stash their favorite ornaments.)

And for Lucy, a bird. I wavered between "birds" and "stories" for her, as she's both fallen in love with birds and asks a hundred times daily for a "story, Mama, story." In the end, I went with a bird, as she fell for them so soon and continued on in her love for them all year--from our chickens, to the seagulls in Bar Harbor, to the birds in our yard. And so I made her this simple embroidered wool bird, with a tail made from one of our chicken feathers:

(The embroidery was inspired by a book I bought as a gift for a friend...and now want for myself!)