belle epoque

Don’t have anything new of a crafty nature to show you, but to all the amazing moms out there:

So remember how I said the Stella Pixie Hat was my favorite hat ever? Well, I just finished a Norwegian Baby Cap for a friend’s baby and I think it takes the cake


And one without the baby in it, if you like that sort of thing.

Of course this is for someone else, so I will have to make another for Miss E, or perhaps even a grown-up sized one for myself! I did make some changes to the pattern, and the details are over on Ravelry. I’m putting off the kitchener stitch on the other Pixie Hat I had on the needles, but once I do that I will be almost done with my WIPs! Next I’m going to make something for myself…

Since my sewing room was taken over by a tiny person, I’ve been doing a lot of knitting. The more I knit, the better I get at it, and the more inspired I am to try interesting and different things. I have yet to complete a large-scale project like a sweater, but a book I recently received, Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans has me thinking about even leaping over the sweater milestone to attempt something ultra-large-scale like an afghan. When it arrived, my mother and I spent much of naptime going through it together, oohing and aahing.

The designs are amazing–many of them I would put more in the category of tapestry or wall-hanging than blanket. I surely wouldn’t let my littles pick at or spit up on the Winchester Winter or Still Life designs if I made them! But there are simple ones as well, and a lovely crochet called Irish Floral shown at table runner scale that I’m eyeing with dangerous intent.

I also think the idea of a book designed purely with one brand/style yarn is an interesting one. I’ve never knit with Berroco’s Comfort, but it is pretty amazing how many colors are on offer, and what different effects can be achieved with this one yarn. There are even some free patterns over at the publisher’s website– for the Greenway Afghan and the Autumn Haze design as well. If you’d like a look at the book, jump in with a comment! I’ll pick a name at random in a week’s time and a copy will wing its way to you.

I’ve actually finished a project or two lately, so I’ll be back again soon with some crafty goodness to show you!

We’ve been having a blast, as my wonderful mother is here visiting. She is fun and creative and full of life, and inspires me to no end. She is also terrific with the girls, making “divide and conquer” all the easier, so I’ve been able to do a few things on my own while Moondoggie takes Miss S and mom takes Her Nibs.

On Sunday I went to the most magical Steiner dollmaking workshop by Christine of The Puppenstube. I learned so much about how to make a doll that is lovely and full of life. Her perspective on making dolls is also a wonder– at the beginning of the workshop she lit a candle and explained that she views dollmaking as bringing a being into creation and approaches it with reverence. I really do think having that attitude made my doll one of the best things I’ve ever made, or at least one of my favorites. So much better than the one I made for HMB at Christmas! That, and of course her tips on how to get it stuffed properly, and proportion the head, features and body correctly.

She is a petite 8″ tall, and the clothing was provided by Christine, as we didn’t have time to make clothes. What do you know but Miss S and she became instant pals

So far, Rosie (as we’ve named her) has come with us to the park twice, gone on the spinning thing and jumped off, and made it out to dinner with us, all on the direct orders of Miss S, who, up until now, has not been particularly attached to any one toy. She has been heard to ask, “Where’d Rosie O’Grady go?” and “Rosie come with us?” It is still early days, but I am hoping that they remain fast friends!

I am very late to the podcast party– like I only started listening to them with any frequency this year. Having two small children who take up all of my attention (except when I have a babysitter, which is equally valuable time), I like to squeeze as MUCH into my me-time as possible. Thus, when I’m knitting or otherwise crafting I crave media of some kind. Sometimes that means watching Hulu or Netflix on my computer on my lap, and sometimes that means tuning into one of my favorite podcasts. I feel like finding the sort of podcasts I like is not exactly intuitive on iTunes, so I thought I’d make a little list here. I’m leaving out crafty ones because I’m guessing you guys have already ferreted those out for yourselves.

I like fiction and storytelling, first and foremost. I like genre fiction quite well, and old radio plays. I wish I could find more good (not cheesy) mystery podcasts, and old BBC radio plays– if you have any insights there, let me know! Nonfiction has to be *really* compelling, or about food, which is true for me when reading or watching nonfiction too. Anyway, these wonderful podcasts speed along my knitting and help me wind down. I’d love to hear about your favorites too!

Storytelling:
The Moth Podcast: A very well-known storytelling podcast, I think- it is good when good, and can be annoying when they broadcast a celebrity’s story just because it is being told by a celebrity.
Risk:-funny, irreverent, occasionally more than a bit R-rated, I laugh out loud listening to this podcast! Moondoggie gives me funny looks, especially when I’m listening in the middle of the night after feeding Her Nibs.

Fiction:
Pseudopod: A fabulous array of mostly contemporary horror stories, generally very well-read. I don’t read a lot of horror, but I do like it and they do a FABULOUS job of curating compelling stories. I also really like the host– his voice, his attitude and his insights.
Podcastle: Put on by the same people as Pseudopod, this is a fantasy podcast. I prefer fantasy to horror to read, but this podcast is a bit more uneven, probably because of *all* the different categories of fantasy, some of which I loathe. But a new episode of Podcastle always gets my hopes up!
Selected Shorts: Beautifully curated and performed short fiction that originates in live performance in NYC. They do more literary and classic fiction, which you may already be able to tell is not my favorite, but they choose the stories well, and the performers are phenomenal. I don’t think I’ve downloaded one that I didn’t like.
The Horror (Old Time Radio): I am a huge sucker for vintage radio plays. Again, for some reason, I prefer the horror/dark fantasy ones to some of the others- I think the cheese factor works better in this genre than, say, mystery. Also, the British ones are THE BEST– eerie and not cheesy at all, no matter what era they are from.

Nonfiction:
RadioLab: I am OBSESSED with RadioLab– it keeps me awake. I love popular science–I am fascinated by how things work, but do need to have them explained to me by an intermediary (like The New York Times Science section, or the fellows who edit RadioLab). I laugh out loud, and find myself quoting what I’ve learned on RadioLab to anyone who will listen (usually moondoggie or my mother, who nod and absently say “mmmmhmmm”). But whenever I start hanging out with adults again, I am going to have SO MUCH awesome dinner party trivia to make me sound smart!
The Splendid Table: This is like RadioLab but for food. I love the host’s jolly, warm demeanor, and interesting facts they ferret out about food. I only wish I could remember to go to their website for the recipes they talk about on the show!

Anyway, sorry for such a text-heavy post, but hopefully it will be of interest to some of you! Again, PLEASE comment with your favorite podcasts if you have time! I’d love to check them out.

Thank you guys for the warm welcome back! I have put off posting to show you something finished. But I’ve been putting it off too long so thought I’d show you my little heap of works in progress

There’s another crop of babies coming from my friends, meaning I’m working on three baby hats at the same time. I have a bad habit of starting a bunch of projects at once, which means everything goes more slowly, I get bored and I want to start yet another something new. A good reason that, given my druthers and a craft room, I’m a machine sewing person rather than a knitting person– I just knit too slowly to suit my butterfly mind. But I shall persevere until these hats are done, then not do another baby hat for awhile! I’m thinking about a simple pull-over cotton sweater for HMB, as she seems to like pullovers, and it will be good for the ever-chilly SF summer. Plus will go faster than the totally stalled adult sweater I’m working on and considering frogging…

I’ve been given a delicious pile of craft books by a lovely friend, which are SO inspiring, so hopefully I’ll be back shortly with some book talk, if not a small project or two.

What a long maternity break from blogging that was! If I am still showing up on your feed readers, thank you for waiting for me and coming back! I’ve been busy taking care of these two for the past few months

Miss S. has been joined by Miss E, also known as “Her Nibs.” Miss E came right on her due date, December 17th, all by herself. After a rocky 6 week adjustment period, we’ve all been getting along splendidly for the most part. I think I showed you guys the Stella Pixie hat I made for Her Nibs before she was born. I liked it then but felt lukewarm about it. But people, on a baby?! Holy Moly

It is hands down the most complimented thing I have ever made! It is also perfect for carrying a wee one in a bjorn– it covers both neck and the entire head/ear area and doesn’t come off when they move their little noggins around. I love it so much. And of course the little fuzzy head it covers.

As that little fuzzy head is currently occupying a crib in my former craft room, all the crafting I’ve been doing is knitting and handwork, but I have been doing it! For Miss S’s second birthday(yes! she is TWO!) I made her a little family of piggies

This pattern came from one of my latest favorite knitting books, Knitted Animals by Anne-Dorthe Grigaff. The designs are super-simple and easy but so very charming. The quality of the yarn makes all the difference– the piggies were knit with a lovely angora blend that is super-soft.

I’ve got a ton of other projects in the works, including my very first sweater, for me! And some older projects I never managed to blog about before my baby-break. I’ve missed this space, and you guys! I’ll be back soon…

I finished HMB’s Waldorf rag doll over a month ago, but then she was without wardrobe for another month, and now she is dressed but for shoes, so I’ll show her to you!

Her pinafore is reversible and serves as a summer top with her little pants

As HMB’s favorite state for herself and her dolls is “neekit! neekit!” I’m guessing this doll’s clothes won’t stay on for very long, but one day perhaps she will enjoy dressing as well as undressing her. I used Maricristin Sealy’s book Making Waldorf Dolls for this one, and there is a lot I am not happy about. Her head is not round enough (which is my fault, and I need more practice with doll heads), but the body proportions are also off– the arms much too short and the legs too long, which is the fault of the pattern. The clothing patterns were also very weird and sized funny, and I was only happy after I had tweaked them beyond recognition. While the book is a huge wealth of information on doll making of this kind, I’ve been frustrated/unsatisfied with a lot of what I’ve made from it. Another mom at one of our Waldorf classes recommended getting a pattern/kit from Joy’s Waldorf Dolls (which is sadly closing due to retirement), so I have one for a 16″ doll waiting in the wings for another time. I also got some of my supplies from Weir Dolls, and they are lovely–their wig-making pamphlet is terrific, and I might try one of their patterns or kits one day as well, assuming my girl(s) are interested in rag dolls for a few more years.

Since the days are getting colder and holiday gift season approaches, I also thought I would share my recipe for gourmet hot cocoa mix. I’m sort of a snob about hot chocolate and have been ever since I had my first sip of French hot chocolate at Payard in NYC–made with cream and melted chocolate, it forever severed my ties to watery Swiss Miss or even homemade Hershey’s. These days, my favorite place to spend non-toddler alone time in San Francisco is Bittersweet, a local chocolate cafe. Their hot chocolate is delicious and everything else about the place is just lovely. But there are days when I don’t feel like coffee in the morning, and afternoons when, if we make it out the door at all, it will be to go to the park with no stopping for a treat for mommy. For those days, I need a stash of good cocoa at home. I think ounce for ounce this recipe is a LOT cheaper than comparable cocoa mix from Vosages, which is my favorite of the gourmet varieties I’ve tried. Of course it is a lot more effort than microwaving some water and pouring in a packet, but the taste difference is incomparable.

Gourmet Cocoa
small (1/4 lb?) block of bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate (I get reasonable Ghirardelli from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 c good unsweetened cocoa powder- I like Droste. Do not use Hershey’s, it tastes awful.
1/2 c Sugar (superfine is best, but anything that isn’t fake will do)
A tin for storage
Chop 1/2 cup of the chocolate relatively fine (just pop the bits in your measuring cup as you go, and when you have 1/2 cup stop chopping and save the rest of the block for later)–a few chunks can be the size of chocolate chips, but you want most of it to be more like little slivers so it will melt easily. Pour the chocolate chunks, cocoa and sugar in the tin, shut the tin tightly and shake to combine.

Preparation
12 oz whole milk (it is fine with low fat or skim milk but if you really want to go gourmet, make it with whole milk, or add some 1/2&1/2 or cream to your lower fat milk)
1/4 cup cocoa mix
Frother if you have one
Pour your milk into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Keep an eye on it! The minute it begins to boil, throw in the cocoa, turn off the heat and whisk until you are sure most of the chocolate chunks have melted. If you have an aerolatte or frother, go ahead and whip it in the sauce pan to get a nice frothy chocolate top and ensure good chocolate meltage. It will be scorching hot, so if you have some vanilla ice cream or cold whipped cream to put on top, go for it, you’ll be able to drink it sooner without burning your tongue.

If you have a fancy jar or tin, you could make a batch for a cocoa-loving friend as a holiday or hostess gift, along with preparation instructions, a cute mug, and if you’re feeling extra-generous, a frother.

I’ve been surrounded with dolly clothes and pieces of yet more knitted toys over the past few days. I’m going a bit crazy, perhaps, and might have to add a green peaked hat and shoes with bells to my wardrobe. Anyway, I also thought it was about time for a little pre-holiday goodie for you guys, my lovely readers, who come and visit and write sweet comments. You may or may not remember that last year I had the opportunity to teach a craft workshop at the December Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco, on how to make these little guys

Sadly this year Baz Biz is just a few days from my due date, so I don’t know if I’ll even be able to make it to the show, let alone teach anything! Anyway, I thought those of you who weren’t at the workshop last December might to make a penguin yourselves. Last year I added a jingle bell, a tiny red scarf and a hanging loop to the wee penguin to make them into Christmas ornaments for a swap.

Pop over to the Tiny Penguin Tutorial page to download the pattern and instructions, and find a link to step by step photos if anything seems confusing! I hope you enjoy it and that you’ll let me know if you make one– I’d love to see yours.

So, I’ve got HMB’s basket of knit vegetables all ready to go- just have to think of a clever way to wrap them for Christmas-

with a garden stowaway

The veggies are all from patterns in Amigurumi Knits, and the snail is from this adorable free pattern.

I realised that Twosie should have a few presents under the tree too, so I got the chance to make the Toadstool Baby Rattle that I’ve had my eye on at the Purl Bee since they first posted it

I put a nice jingly cat toy in the cap and hopefully this baby will not be allergic to wool so she can play with it!

Moondoggie is away for the weekend, meaning both that HMB will be missing daddy, and, as an upside, there might be some time for sewing around here after HMB goes to bed– if so I have a bunch of things in the works that I’ll hopefully be able to finish and show you next week. In the meantime, I hope you all have happy and crafty weekends!