Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

I planned on posting quite a bit here today (including a hedgehog tutorial) but staying up late going over financial aid forms while dealing with a cold has me tuckered out. I also planned on posting before today but (again) that aformentioned cold prevented me. I will just have to talk about those things later in the week.



Baby' L's birthday crown is starting very slowly. I cut out the crown shape but haven't done much else. I am still debating if I should needle felt the images on or just cut out felt like I did for K and C's crowns.







I had some complications with Baby L's milo. Ok, what really happened is that I messed up my stitch count and didn't realize it until I was done with the upper body. I didn't feel like ripping it all out and starting over so instead I just changed gears and started a new milo with a different yarn. I could have photographed this yarn all day long. I love the color of it. It's called winter wheat and it's name suits it well. In fact, I was thinking of doing some kind of wheat cable on the milo instead of the traditional ones that come with the pattern. I fell in love with this one here, to be exact. The only (slightly major) problem is that chart goes from the bottom up and the milo is knit from the top down. I don't know how to reverse a twisted cable chart - do any of you?



I knit up another birthday gift for Baby L. He loves to play with our dogs' rubber toy balls so it seemed like he should have a ball of his own. I'm calling it his crossing the rainbow bridge ball. It's a pattern from Knitting for Baby: 30 Heirloom Projects with Complete How-to-Knit Instructions. I really like all the projects I have knit from that book, this one included. The ball was a fast knit, and it uses up those last little bits of scraps you have hanging around. I am now to the point where I felt it but I am changing up the pattern a bit by using a pre-felted ball inside of it instead of wool stuffing. This way I can machine wash it whenever it gets dirty. I am hoping I picked a good size ball to put inside. We'll see as I felt it. I'll let you know how it comes out.



I am also framing a new picture (thank you, Nadja) and finishing up some little projects for our school benefit auction next month, but more on those a bit later.

If you would like to join me and share your current works in progress please leave your link below. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Please remember to link back here for all of us to see. It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. Now please share and inspire us all!


What are you working on?! Happy creating!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

Shaping her future

*semi-related photos from Martin Luther King,Jr day at school last week. I love that we celebrate him by having a day of organized community service for the children (and us adults!) instead of a day off.*

When I opened our latest school newsletter my eyes instantly fell on a certain article. I saw the name of one of the most amazing individuals I have the pleasure of knowing, the man who taught Kevin's friend growing up (back in upstate NY - where I am from), our favorite neighbor, and (most importantly) the person who will be teaching K for the next 8 years of her life. (In Waldorf schools the children have the same teacher and class from 1st-8th grade) That's an awful lot to say about one person, huh? Well, now you can imagine why my heart skipped beats and tears fell down my cheeks as I read this. I instantly felt that I had to share these sentimental words with all of you.

Goodbye, Grade 8....Welcome
Grade 1
By Susan Lake, 8th grade parent

I believe Mr. Conlon won the hearts and respect of our
children when early in their first grade year, he introduced
them to the Wild and Wooly Waterman. He would bring
them out onto the school field and from a distance, shout
out "I Am the Wild and Wooly Waterman...Catch Me If You
Can!" That's all a spirited class of first graders needed as
they charged forth trying hard to catch the swift and agile
Mr. Conlon.
Bringing learning while in motion became his signature....
going out and gathering thousands of acorns to be used as
counting tools for math, tossing beanbags while in a circle
reciting the multiplication tables, or the many mornings
spent in the gym playing "cat & mouse" and other favorite
games. Mr. Conlon's numerous field trips are legendary.
They have ranged from a simple walk to Elk Rock Island in
Milwaukie, to a grand sixth grade adventurous geology field
trip to central Oregon exploring Newbury Crater and the
lava fields and the more recent trip downtown to Occupy
Portland on the city bus.
Mr. Conlon has a tremendous awareness that children
thrive when they can move around. Their minds and
bodies are challenged, enhancing their confidence, their
respect for each other, a love of learning and the pure joy
of the teacher child relationship. Mr. Conlon is a master
teacher and a dear human being. He has often said, "your
kids are great....they are amazing! I can take them
anywhere." A child, who has gone through the grades with
Mr. Conlon, will be deeply rewarded for a lifetime.

How could my heart not help but soar above the clouds after reading this?! I feel like we are the most blessed family in the world right now, and I know we are not the only ones.

In other news - The Dandelion Dream giveaway winner will be announced shortly in the original post. Also, I wanted to say thanks to all of you for your responses to Keep Calm Craft On. Wow!! It seems that most of you are ok with pretty much any day of the week but there was a slight lean towards Tuesdays so let's go with that day. Of course you are always welcome to post your WIPs on your blog any day of the week and then just link it up in the KCCO post for that week. Did that make sense?
So, starting next week I will be posting all Keep Calm Craft On posts on Tuesdays. My Rhythm In Our Home posts will be a bit more sporadic now but they will still happen. I'll go more into that later.

Have a most wonder full weekend!

Shaping her future

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

Welcome back for our second installment of Keep Calm Crafting On {crafting on}. I am sorry that I have been a bit random wit the day and time of these posts. I'll get more into that in a minute. For now. Here is what I currently have in the works...

I finished up Baby L's birthday sweater and just need to be block it now. I started a couple other little projects for him as well.



I have had this yarn sitting out since I finished our friend's birthday Milo last summer. I think it may have even been on my rav projects page since around then. It was meant to become a fall/winter vest for Baby L. Well, fall is over and I am just now picking it up and knitting with it. I guess it will be his winter/spring vest instead. Keeping his core warm is so very important, so vests really work year round, at least they do here in Oregon.



Another birthday gift on the needles is cute little bear hat. I am quite pleased with the yarn color I chose for this. It's brown enough to be 'bear like' but not so dark that I can't handle it. I have issues with my babies wearing dark colors, I am all about the light and bright colors on them. That's just me and my silliness, though.







I have a finished project to share, too. A golden crown fit for a princess. (or prince) Isn't that yarn perfect for it? It looks very regal to me. I actually made this in September/October but then I hid it up on my top shelf and forgot about it (didn't I just mention that I need to clean off that shelf?!) it stayed hidden for a couple of months before I remembered it was there. I had a reason to make it but why that was, I do not remember now. So I just gave it to my children. It's funny because I modified the pattern a bit (rav notes here), and it fits K's 6 year old head, C's 3 1/2 year old head and almost fit's Baby L's 11 month old head...



but he isn't so sure about it just yet. Oh well. I have a feeling this will be my official dress-up crown pattern. I forgot to say that the yarn was just leftovers from K's slippers. I was happy to use it up. I am thankful for my friend Tricia hosting her weekly Stash Bash to help me continue to use up my stash and leftover bits. Won't you join us?

I really need to buckle down and make some definite birthday decisions. It's all so up in the air and 'making by the seat of my pants' right now.
Not only is Baby L's birthday quickly approaching but C's will be here in no time. I need to pick out her birthday sweater pattern, a dress pattern and also make her the doll papoose from this book (like I made for K) and fix up her C baby. If I want to accomplish all of these things I need to get a good schedule going and fast!

I have been meditating quite a bit on the day to host this link up. There are a few other crafting link-ups on Wednesdays, and I don't want to be redundant. I honestly picked Wednesdays because for the past few years I have posted my craft progress on Wednesdays (or late Tuesday nights) with or with out a group to follow or link-up with. It's just part of my posting rhythm. K's kindergarten class even holds a crafting circle on Wednesdays, it just seems to be the day of the week to create and share! That said, I could (make myself - ahem) handle change. Perhaps I should host it on Tuesday or Thursday, instead? What are your thoughts? Any strong preference for either of those days? I'll update you all later this week with the final decision.

If you would like to join me and share your current works in progress please leave your link below. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Please remember to link back here for all of us to see. It's as simple as that. Now please share and inspire us all!

What are you working on? Happy creating!
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There's still time to enter for your chance to win a $25 credit to Dandelion Dream here. Don't miss this great giveaway!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

Waldorf Inspired Angel Mobile Tutorial

Please come join me over at Bamboo magazine (once again) for their newly released Winter issue. This time I am sharing instructions on making a Waldorf inspired angel mobile - just like the one my girls' have in their bedroom. Let me know what you think.
I'll be back in this space tomorrow with my Keep Calm Craft On post. I hope you'll join me!

Waldorf Inspired Angel Mobile Tutorial