recent handwork...

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I have taken to using the bookshelf as a knitting shelf. It is working quite well. Knitting bags are every handy too, as they keep balls of yarn safely unwinding within and can be hung out of reach of baby.

My knitting bag was a birthday gift from Chloe. She now has times, often late in the day, when she simply must start on a particular project immediately, and she will then work for many hours to get it done. (Reminds me of my 1am, or 3am!, sewing nights from when I was younger!) (I can't believe I just said, "when I was younger".)

So yes, knitting bags are useful, my mind is now whirring away with thoughts as to what makes a most perfect knitting bag. Chloe included a knitted i-cord strap on mine, which is most definitely perfect and lovely.

More on Chloe's finished sewing list includes a nightgown, a cap (this one, which I think is very becoming on her) a linen pillow for Elsa with her name embroidered on it, and a green corduroy frock/dress (which just happens to resemble a dress I made myself about 20 years ago, and was even cut from the same length of fabric…)

Now if I could just get myself some time at the sewing machine!

(Would probably be easier to do if I would put down my knitting.)

But knitting… Two pairs of pants now for Elsie, and the second pair is plenty, plenty long, hopefully she will be wearing them all year.

And then my other so very special knitting project…

But the sewing!

(And the teeny tiny dolls!!! Not more than 2 or 3 inches tall. Lots of these little people about our home…)


~ Joining friends Ginny and Nicole ~

(p.s. knit pants are picky pants pattern and elizabeth zimmerman baby leggings. and i really should update my ravelry page sometime…)


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first week of advent

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The Festival of Stones. St. Nicholas came. Three oranges this year!

Maybe next year I will remember to re-post my advent calendar tutorial in time.

(If I wait for good light and unblurry pictures then blog posts will never happen.)

Our advent angel shows us how many days until Christmas, but that still leaves lots of asking... "How many days till St. Nicholas comes." "When is St. Lucia's day?" "When is Three Kings Day?"

So our Winter Festival Days Calendar should help with that...


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november gratitude (Steiner on gratitude...)

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(Do you see? We have an apple fairy this year!)

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Rudolph Steiner from "The Child's Changing Consciousness As the Basis of Pedagogical Practice" (Lectures from April, 1923) ...

"All that flows, with devotion and love, from a child's inner being toward whatever comes from the periphery through the parents (or other educators) - and everything expressed outwardly in the child's imitation - will be permeated with a natural mood of gratitude. We only have to act in ways that are worthy of the child's gratitude and it will flow toward us, especially during the first period of life."

"It would be very incorrect to remind children constantly to be thankful for whatever comes from their surroundings.
On the contrary, an atmosphere of gratitude should grow naturally in children through merely witnessing the gratitude that their elders feel as they receive what is freely given by their fellow human beings, and in how they express gratitude.
In this situation, one would also cultivate the habit of feeling grateful by allowing the child to imitate what is done in the surroundings.
If a child says "thank you" very naturally - not in response to the urging of others, but simply by imitation - something has been done which will greatly benefit the child's whole life. 
Out of this an all-embracing gratitude will develop towards the whole world."

"The cultivation of universal gratitude toward the world is of paramount importance.
It does not always need to be in one's consciousness, but may simply live in the background of the feeling life,
so that, at the end of a strenuous day, one can experience gratitude, for example, when entering a beautiful meadow full of flowers. Such a subconscious feeling of gratitude may arise in us whenever we look at nature. It may be felt every morning when the Sun rises, when beholding any of nature's phenomena."

"And if we only act properly in front of the children, a corresponding increase in gratitude will develop within them from all that comes to them from the people living around them, from the way the speak or smile, or the way such people treat them."

"This universal mood of gratitude is the basis for a truly religious attitude; for it is not always recognized that this universal sense of gratitude, provided it takes hold of the whole human being during the first period of life, will engender something even further."

"In human life, love flows into everything if only the proper conditions present themselves for development. The possibility of a more intense experience of love, reaching the physical level, is given only during the second period of life between the change of teeth and puberty."

"But that first tender love,
so deeply embodied in the inner being of the child - without as yet working outward -
this tender blossom will become firmly rooted through the development of gratitude."

"Love, born out of the experience of gratitude during the first period of the child's life, is the love of God. 

One should realize that, just as one has to dig the roots of a plant into the soil in order to receive it's blossom later on, one also has to plant gratitude into the soul of the child, because it is the root of the love of God. 

The love of God will develop out of universal gratitude, as the blossom develops from the root."

"If, during this first period of life, we create an atmosphere of gratitude around children… 

then out of this gratitude toward the world, toward the entire universe, 

and also out of an inner thankfulness for being in this world at all 

(which is something that should ensoul all people), 

the most deep-seated and warmest piety will grow. 

Not the kind that lives on one's lips or in thought only, but piety that will pervade the entire human being, that will be upright, honest, and true."


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Blessings, love, peace and well wishes to all...


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everyday riches

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Yesterday Chessa and I decided to play a game, making a list of all the things we are rich in.

We are rich in family.

We are rich in love.

We are rich in health.

We are rich in land.

We are rich in trees.

We are rich in candles.

We are rich in flowers.

We are rich in clothes.

We are rich in dolls.

We are rich in cats.

We are rich in horses.

We are rich in dishes.

We are rich in wooden horses.

We are rich in books.

We are rich in notebooks.

We are rich in beeswax.

We are rich in pencils.

We are rich in crayons.

We are rich in fabric.

We are rich in wool.

We are rich in baby.

We are rich in girls.

We are rich in sisters.

We are rich in handmades.

We are rich in skills.

We are rich in gardens.

We are rich in seeds.

We are rich in compost.

We are rich in friends.

We are rich in memories.

We are rich in dreams.

We are rich in hope.

And then Chessa says, "Seems like we're rich in pretty much everything except money."

Sounds pretty good to us!

What are you rich in?


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moments and makings and musings

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Salsify trampled by the rain.
Hooray! It rained!
And maybe more today. Maybe more tomorrow.
Monsoon season.

Early mornings in the garden.
A new bed made along the side of the greenhouse. Collards transplanted. Swiss chard nestled in amongst volunteer kale and overwintered carrots going to seed. There is still a tray of kale that I think will get transplanted into bare patches in the strawberry bed.

Dolls in various stages. Tucked into a soft wool bed by the girls so they stay cozy. And so there aren't a bunch of doll heads laying around...

Chloe has been doing some spinning on the drop spindle, and Chessa a bit too. And then knitting more cats. This is just how it is with cats I guess, whether real or knitted, it is easy to suddenly end up with too many.
(The girls of course do not consider there to be too many cats...)

I'm embroidering slowly. I'm knitting slowly. I'm getting much done in the garden in the moments I have to step outside.

I'm joining Lisa in a Waldorf planning course over the next 5 weeks or so. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, and laughing a lot, that I am considered a guest speaker. (Joking that I am not going to say a word!) (Sorry Lisa, I will though, I promise.)
I am very grateful for the course and inspiration. Usually at this time of year I am buried in notebooks, calendar pages, lesson notes, story ideas. But I haven't done much of any of that yet this year. How unlike me. I am excited to get started though!

One last thought...
Is there any 9 year old child who would not greatly benefit from time spent pounding nails with a hammer? I think most likely not.


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june. making, growing, reading...

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Greens awaiting transplanting. Kale, chard, collards. I love them all. But sometimes I think collards may be my favorite. Especially when I am starting greens in the hot summer and the collards are loving it very much.

Hopefully in the next week or so we will be getting all of our potatoes in to the ground, followed by carrots and beets. Late June, really summer just beginning, and we are looking towards our fall storage crops.

June has felt so completely summer already that for the solstice and since then we have been having rather quiet days. Jason took the girls to the library a few mornings ago and it seems like they have been mostly reading, writing, and drawing since then. Occasional visits out to the garden, watering, nice and cool in the evenings.

Oh, and there has been lots of watercolor painting happening too. We have mostly always done the wet on wet watercolor method (waldorf) but lately the girls have been enjoying free painting time with the regular watercolors in trays, nice Lyra ones, such beautiful colors, and so many pretty paintings created.

Sleeping summer babies. Warm afternoon naps.

More making from the girls...
A wool needlefelt family portrait.
Lots of little knitted kitties. I didn't even try to get a good photo, you can't see how sweet they really are.
Doll making. Little dolls. Doll making dreams.

I started a teething doll for Elsa but need to get back to it.
Knitting some longies/pants (elizabeth zimmerman) and that sure is going slow, finally dividing for the legs, and then I think I will become more motivated to finish.
Sewing a sunbonnet. Almost done. Maybe I can finish that today.
And more birthday sewing to be done. Birthday dress for a 13 year old!!!

And finally you can see a bit of Chessa's birthday dress. The blue fabrics I have had for many years, this post here shows a skirt that I made Chloe long ago with the same four prints. Whenever Chloe would wear that skirt I would think "chloe in blueberry land" (elsa beskow!) and now Chessa has her very own blueberry dress. (The skirt is still being occasionally worn, but getting quite tattered after 2 sisters and 8 years worth of wear!)
Well hopefully I can share better dress pics sometime, and hopefully I will get it's missing button sewn on soon too (didn't quite have time to sew on the button on birthday morning, now I keep forgetting it still needs to be done. The dress is worn all the time anyhow...)

So now on to the day. There will be more making, home chores, tending little seedlings and watering garden beds, bread baking, books...

I have been putting a lot of thought into next years homeschooling. I will have a 3rd grader and a 7th grader! So the homeschool papers, books, folders are in a big stack on the living room floor, my head is full of ideas, and I better start writing down some of these thoughts and ideas soon!

(This Waldorf bookstore is having a sale this week, including some titles by Jakob Streit. He is one of our favorite authors, we have some of his sweet gnome stories, animal stories, Saints stories, Old Testament stories. There are some of his books that will be good for our Middle Ages block next year. Oh yes, a definite favorite Waldorf author!)


(joining friends Ginny and Nicole...)


Oh, and also, Happy Happy Summer (or winter??) to all!!!


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