Newly Made

Now that the snow is gone, the rain has set in. Rainy days are when I do the most sewing and knitting. With April's birthday just around the corner, I've been busy making new things for her.

This little tunic is a modification on this tunic dress. The pattern was a little wonky so I'm not thrilled with the finished look but it is cute and easy. The fabric is some Amy Butler fabric I bought in the summer.

I also made April some more Quick Change Trousers from the Handmade Beginnings book. I really do love these pants. Not only are they easy to make, they fit my cloth diapered baby so well. I was excited to find some purple fabric that matched the yarn I used to make her Plain Vest. This is the second time I've made this pattern. I wasn't very happy with the results the first time so this time I made a ton of modifications (Ravelry notes here).

Finally, I made her this sweet little hat. It is a small version of the Felicity hat. I used some Ewe and Me sportweight yarn in Rootbeer Float. It was a fast knit and gave me a chance to use my brand new interchangeable needles. I LOVE these needles. I can't wait to do more knitting.

Snow Day

Snow days are rare here on the west coast. If we get any snow at all it is usually a light dusting rather than a heavy dump. But sure enough this year we were buried under it. Dad had a snow day from school so we spent Wednesday taking April out on her sled, shoveling snow, making cookies, watching movies and just enjoying being snowed in.

Of course, being the snow-lover I am, as soon as snow started to fall I bundled April up and took her for a ride in the snow. Turns out you don't need a whole lot of snow to use those wooden sleds, actually it's best not to have much snow. At first she seemed to enjoy it, taking it all in.
But in the end I think April really didn't enjoy her snow day. Who can blame her? She couldn't really move in her snowsuit and the wind made it bitterly cold. She did like looking out the window at the snow.

I love in this picture that we both are wearing hand-knit hats (her's is the Lyalya Hoodie and mine is the Out of Retirement hat). Snow days also gave me the opportunity to work on some knitting. I love sitting by the fire, in a pile of wool, just knitting away.

It was so nice to see the world blanketed in snow. It is so peaceful and such a nice change. We walked our usual walks but they seemed like a totally different place. If snow is rare, icicles are even rarer here. But we saw them. They seem like chandeliers hanging from our patio. I've been working on being more mindful in my everyday activities and this change of environment helped give me an opportunity to notice everything.

The house got very cold despite running our fireplace all day so I decided we needed to have the oven on for something. We made these "Swedish" pastries from the PurlBee. Yum, they were the perfect cookie to have with some hot chocolate.
Our snow day was lovely. I hope the rest of you could enjoy your wintery blast. The snow is gone now and I can see the crocuses starting to come up in my garden. Spring is coming.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 Inspired by SouleMama

Snowflake

Sometimes, on days like these, I wish I was a snowflake.

Growing in the sky, where the clouds meet the blue, waiting for the quiet.

Only in the silence would I fall to earth.

Not fall, dance. Dance on the wind.

Not dance, float. The peace and serenity of floating in the quiet air.

I wish I could be a snowflake.

I would softly land and lay myself on the cold ground and blanket the world.

There I would lie, in the silence, in the peace, until one day the sun would embrace me.

Warm me.

The very essence of me would melt into the cool dark earth and nourish the spring bulbs that wait below.

New life. 

Yes, sometimes I wish I could be a snowflake.

It is snowing. It is so quiet and peaceful. We went for a quiet walk in the snow and now the baby is sleeping. The fire is on and I am going to take a warm bath before I go to bed. Maybe I will dream of the wonderful white world I will wake up to.

Annabel

Last week I finished knitting my very first sweater...for myself! I chose Quince and Co's Annabel Cardigan and used Quince and Co's Osprey yarn in Stormy. It really didn't take that long, only 3 weeks from start to finish. Osprey is the perfect yarn for this sweater; even though it's 100% wool, it is so soft and wonderful to knit with. The whole thing is in garter stitch which is quick and easy and gives a very comfy feel to this sweater. I think I would have made it about 2 inches longer in the body though. I always feel that too much of my back is exposed when I bend over while wearing it.
The buttons are one of my favorite things about this sweater. I love the way the grey yarn seems to just put the gorgeous wooden buttons on display. The buttons were bought on Etsy.

This sweater is so warm and I just feel so proud about it, I've been wearing it all the time! I think I might make another one in a different color for next winter. Oh but there are so many other patterns just waiting to be knit.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 Inspired by SouleMama

Handmade Christmas

I should have posted this a lot sooner but I really tried to savor the family time this Christmas. Hand making gifts for loved ones gives me such joy and this year I enjoyed it more than ever.
For April, I made her the moss-stitch slippers from the Baby Knits book by Debbie Bliss, a super soft merino scarf, the Wee Wonderfuls Butterfly (to accompany her Wee Wonderfuls Snail) and the Mira Sweater.

For Jon, he only asked for a hat so I made him one. It is called the Gargantuan Melon hat and I made it with some Debbie Bliss Tweed. He loves it (though I made some mistakes that really stand out to me but he doesn't notice).
For the whole family, I brought peppermint bark, oat balls and made hot apple cider from the apple juice made with the fruit from our yard. I also gifted some yummy home canned goods from this summer.
And I got some homemade gifts too. None are totally complete yet so I don't have pictures but Jon made me a new cabinet for our entryway and he turned me a bird house in the shape of an apple. I'm really excited to organize my entryway when the new cabinet is finished. It will be the perfect start to a new year.
Christmas was so nice this year. We took it very slow, enjoyed ever minute, laughed a lot and appreciated each other more than ever. In the end it wasn't about the gifts, handmade or not, it was about being together and being grateful for the people who love you. I hope you all had an equally lovely holiday.