belle epoque

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…