mamma. engineer. redheaded girl. wanna-be hippie.

handmade::to market, to market

Posted by on Jan 28th, 2012 in handmade, recrafted | 2 comments

Last year I had planned to make my bestie a market bag.  I had found this orange hemp yarn (Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy) at a local shop on crazy sale and scooped it up.  I mean it’s orange!  And hemp! And awesome!  After some debate on what to do with it, I finally settled on a market bag.

It’s the free pattern Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty, and is seriously easy.  So easy.  You can knit this bag in a day if you’re a superstar knitter.  If you’re not a superstar knitter you can knit most of this bag in a weekend, then get to the last 10 rows and put it in a basket.  Then move it to a bag.  Then back to the basket.  Then the bag.  Several months later pull it out and look at it.

Put it back in the bag and wait a few more months.

Then pull it out and finish it in half an hour.  Now put it back in the bag.  A month or so later, take it out of the bag and put it in the basket.

A year past the the Christmas you were originally going to wrap it up and give it to your friend, take it out of the basket and spend 15 minutes sewing the handles on.

to market, to market

Then keep it because you love it.

ANYWAY.  It knits up super fast (if you’re normal).  My handles are a thrift store find from a few years ago - embroidered fabric ribbon that was in this huge $3 bag of lace and ribbon and whatnots including the owl and bird ribbon on the kid’s nature bags (which are still in heavy use, I need to make one for Anna).  I love how that thrift store ribbon is perfect for the color and style of this bag without any planning or forethought on my part.  It’s like the hippie universe aligning.

to buy a locally raised, grass-fed, free range chicken


hello, hello

Posted by on Jan 24th, 2012 in handmade, mommyhood | 3 comments

I’m still here just, I don’t know.  Uninspired I guess?  Busy and tired and when the end of the day comes I don’t feel like writing.  I haven’t even started my Christmas newsletter which is ridiculous considering I have a photo for it that I paid for (or at least, will have to eventually pay for) and then what?

Steve is watching something and people are in a field listening to music.  They flashed on a Mama and her newborn with ear protectors on, dancing and having a lot of fun.  I want that.  The dancing and the baby and the fun and music out doors.
This year I have resolved to finish things.  I have a lot of things that aren’t finish.  I do finish many of my projects but still there are a lot of my projects that tend to linger.  Nothing I feel guilty about, it isn’t keeping me up at night, but it always feels good to finish things.  I’ve also resolved to do less housework.  Well, not specifically do less housework, just spend more time living and less time on the day to day crap.  Although you can’t let the day to day crap go completely so this one is harder than you’d think.  Where is the balance?  What gives, what do you have to do so that you’re not dealing with a disaster later?
And those last few sentences show just how privalaged my life is.

My first completed project for 2012 was the kid’s 2011 Christmas ornaments.  Hey, at least I’m predictably late but I finished them before Christmas 2012 so I WIN.  ha!

callum's penguin

claire's snowman

anna's snowman

the entire gang

The whole gang includes ornaments for other lucky kids.  I just mailed them yesterday, so you know, their mothers are going to be cursing me when they have to dig out the Christmas box to store them.  oops!


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