belle epoque

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.

This one has been popping up all over the crafty interwebs, and I was so excited to get my hot little hands on it!

Hand-Stitched Felt by Kata Golda.

These projects are all so charming and simple. I think they would be terrific not only as gifts for children (and grown-ups who appreciate the sweet), but also as first sewing projects for a child who is ready to hold a needle and thread. They are all the more darling for any mistakes or imperfections, and utterly satisfying and frustration-free to stitch together. I made three of the sweet finger puppets that are featured on the book jacket

They took almost no time to make–just a few snips and a few stitches, then instant gratification! I’ll also be making a little “bed” for them so I can roll them up together and pop them in HMB’s stocking for Christmas…

In addition to knitting as a great activity to do while lounging in bed and watching trashy TV, I do adore embroidery. It was one of the first crafts I learned from my mom when I was home sick from school as a child. She bought me beautiful little flower samplers from Woolworth’s (oh how I miss Woolworth’s, source of all my early craft supplies!) and taught me the satin stitch, split stitch and french knot so I could spend hours stitching away. I’m planning to make sure I have plenty of patterns transferred onto fabric or dish towels before the new baby comes, so I’ll have lots of projects I can just pick up and work on despite my machine-sewing space being otherwise engaged. Many of those patterns will be Hillary Lang’s wonderful Stitchettes, which I was always quick to snap up as soon as they came out so I wouldn’t miss any. I most recently finished her Quilting Bee Stitchette, with the vague notion of painting an embroidery hoop in a nice turquoise to use as a frame for hanging it on the wall.

Lucky for anyone who did miss a few Stitchettes, Hillary has just made them all available as PDFs!

I’m sorry to be posting this so much later than I heard about it, but I’ve been on a knitting binge– as it is a craft I can do while I lie in bed, watching shows on Hulu or Netflix while HMB naps (I’m a lazy sort of pregnant lady). Anyway, the wonderful folks over at Melanie Falick Books are offering a TON of really great patterns from their beautiful books *for free* over on their website. Go check it out! Some of my very favorite craft books are from this publisher(promise, I don’t work for them!), and the patterns they’re offering for free are great, for sewing, knitting, hand printing and more. I’ve already made this one with a few changes

and I’m working on this one. I actually own Vintage Baby Knits and couldn’t recommend it more–the patterns are charming and at the least the ones I’ve tried are cleverly constructed and pretty quick and easy for patterns that call for small yarns and needles. And I’m *not* a great, patient or detail-oriented knitter.

For treats! Let’s leave aside the over-a-week silence around here, kay? Good. Today I had a babysitter and tomorrow miss S and I are hosting our first joint party (10+babies in costume! I’m freaking out a little with excitement). Because only the adult attendees of the party will be eating actual food, I thought I’d go ahead and try to make some sophisticated grown-up candy.

Fleur de Sel Caramels. And OH MY GOSH, they are delicious. And really not that hard if you have a candy thermometer and can be somewhat nonchalant about molten sugar. Here they are in progress

I will post about the party and show you pictures of HMB in her (homemade, natch) costume tomorrow or Fridayish, but had to share this candymaking experience now in case you’re feeling the urge to make your own treats too!

You guys know all about The Toy Society right? A totally fun and brilliant idea, and when I read about it on Jodie’s blog I knew I had to get involved. So, I wrote an e-mail asking if it was an invitation-only sort of thing or if someone like me could just ask and be accepted. I got a sweet reply inviting me to go ahead and jump in!

One of the UFOs in my pile was a a Wee Bunny, all cut out and ready to be sewn and stuffed. HMB is lucky enough to have a fabulous Wee Bunny given to her by Bethany, so this one was sadly without a recipient. Perfect for my first Toy Society drop! I put extra love in all the stitching since it was going out into the world alone to find a home

And this morning, a truly beautiful San Francisco morning, HMB and I went to our favorite park to drop it off- I hope it brings a smile to whoever finds it

Dropped: Alta Plaza Park, San Francisco, California, USA
Number of Toys: 1
Made by: Nancy, using a pattern by Hillary
When: October 8
Dropped by: Me- Nancy

I want to do this again and again! It is so fun. I have another UFO softie of my own design in that pile that I think is destined to go to another San Francisco park. Maybe HMB and I can do a little tour de parc around the city, dropping toys as we go!

I must say, all of your comments on my confessions post are spurring me on to great heights of giving away, and I already feel more inspired! I am particularly excited to come up with crafty uses for the tiny baby food jars piling up since HMB started eating actual victuals. Since I’ve been busy cleaning up the craft room, I don’t have any big new projects to show you. But I have made some more ribbon straw flowers, big and little:

And I am sorry to say I don’t remember how I came across the recipe, but I made these

They are like a cross between a less bad-for-you dutch baby and no-special-pan-required popover. They were easy and tasty and not too sweet, but made me wish I was having a dutch baby or a popover, so… maybe I need a popover pan.

I also think I forgot to crow about being the one to win Michelle’s giveaway! I may have to wear this pincushion as a bracelet it is so cute.

I am SO EXCITED about Hillary’s Kit, Chloe and Louise doll patterns! I could definitely make one of them without buying any new supplies, so they’ve moved to the top of my list after I finish other unfinished stuff(I have this fantasy of making a rag doll with an entire wardrobe, quilt, pillow and other accoutrements for HMB, then putting it in a little cardboard trunk to give her when she’s old enough to appreciate it- when would that be, do you think?).

And finally, I never linked to the three lovely bloggers who won in my PIF Exchange– do check them out because they’re great, and also participating, so if you’re lucky enough to comment on their PIF Exchange posts, you’ll get something fun! So, congratulations and thank you to Lisa of The Bunny Log, Mary Beth of Love Running Deep and Vonnie of Blotted Copy Book! Hurrah!

Thank you so much for jumping in on my giveaway from the last post! Thanks to your comments I’m already feeling encouraged to go in there and get organizing. I think I may have to pick more than 3 winners too, so stay tuned. Remember that post will be open for comments until Monday, September 22.

Now on to the title of this post. I am a huge admirer of Cathy of California. The wonderful Susan introduced me to her at Maker Faire back in 2007, and I continue to be blown away by her beautiful vintage and vintage-inspired work. Her use of color and texture is so spot-on and perfect (those burlap mushrooms! divine), I’d love to be able to see the world through her eyes for just a few hours. I visited with her for a few minutes at Renegade SF and was kicking myself later that I didn’t get one of her Vintage Flower Looms. There’s something so yummy and candy-like about those straw flowers. Well, I finally got my act together and got my hands on one. Because she’s awesome, she threw in some extra treats for me too

You can see her professional flower brooch in that picture. Of course I had to make one myself immediately! And then another for good measure

I think they’d be so cute for Christmas ornaments! Or on hair clips, or… the possibilities are endless. And they are so fun and soothing to make, too. I see many in my future… I know I’m supposed to be de-stashing but of course now I want more colors of ribbon straw (or the contemporary equivalent, plastic raffia). But I shall try to control myself and use what I have until I really *need* more…

I’ve been pretty good about not writing too many baby-centered posts lately, right? Right? Well, sorry, that ends today.HMB all of a sudden not only outgrew one set of clothes but had a pressing need for lightweight long pants(key for sun protection as well as going in the baby swing at the park without chafing chubby little legs), given that summertime starts in San Francisco about September 1st. My favorite pair of pants like this came from Shelly, made by Dillybop designs. Sadly she outgrew them along with a bunch of other cute stuff, so I thought I’d try to make some to replace them. While I loved the pattern in Little Stitches, it wasn’t quite what I was looking for- I wanted a longer, wider leg, a deeper inseam (for diaper coverage) and a better-fitting waistline. So I made up my own! I used fabric leftover from HMB’s long-abandoned Wall Hanging to make some shabby chic-style lounge pants

She’s worn them out to lunch and for several outings to the park, so I’d say they’re a success! I will be making more with other fabric, and perhaps even some in denim (she needs some baby jeans for fall, I think).

And a new friend for Miss S flapped his way into our life yesterday. Meet Isaac

Miss S was immediately captivated and knew just how Isaac likes to play

hugging (he’s got a squishable little body)

chewing (his pointy little owl horns are perfect)

and shaking (he’s got a little rattle)
Isaac was made by the amazing Shannon, a person to whom I owe much of my crafty prowess. Back when she lived in SF and ran Muse Sewing Workshops, she taught me not to be afraid of my sewing machine, and that sewing didn’t have to be fussy work involving too many pins and charcoal marks and boringness. She made sewing seem easy, fun and stylish, and the rest is history! Now she lives in LA, has a darling wee boy, and runs a LOVELY blog called Handpicked Handmade, where she writes about great handmade items for children (and their moms). Isaac came from her equally lovely etsy shop, which I urge you to visit if you have any wee ones in your life deserving of a gift. Her owls and balls have been market tested by the most discerning of focus groups (her son), and as such, have every necessary amusement for a busy girl or boy, as you see above! Miss S has lots of toys and is sometimes blase about new things I present to her, but she was immediately enthusiastic about Isaac and gets a happy little grin on her face whenever she sees him!