Frontier Dreams: A Knitting and Sewing Rhythm

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A Knitting and Sewing Rhythm

First things first - a big THANK YOU to all of you for your kind words on my previous post. I am a bit behind today but I will get back to all of you very soon. In the meantime to answer a couple of your questions : the dress pattern is the 'Claire' by Portabellopixie, and the bonnet pattern is 'The Bonnet' by KingPod.

Now back to our regularly scheduled post...

*sigh* Will I ever be able to take a photo without a piece of dog or cat fur stuck somewhere in it?
I thought I would start out by not sharing my own works in progress but my sweet little K's current project. At the end of the school year she picked up four finger knitting after many, many tries throughout the year. Now she is four finger knitting like crazy. She is currently working on 'creating her own pattern'. I am sure I will be sharing it with all of you as soon as she has it done. It's funny because in Waldorf teaching four finger knitting is for the older children in the kindergarten (and knitting with needles isn't until first grade around the age of seven) and now as she is close to turning six - ready to be one of the older children in her second year of kindergarten - she figured it out. Steiner never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of ages and readiness.

As for me, I am still working on a project for Baby L. Not much progress has been made as I have ripped these out a couple of times now due to making them too small. Hopefully I am on the right track now. I still do not have any Shalom pics yet to share. I have been wearing it quite a bit though and absolutely adore it. Now I feel I am ready to take on more projects for myself.

Also in the works some more sewing for K. C gets all of K's hand me downs so I don't have to sew or knit quite as much for her. K on the other hand just keeps growing like a weed! This Mama needs to learn how to keep up.

Speaking of sewing for K, I have a nice sewing rhythm going right now, knock on wood, and I am hoping to start on K's birthday dress ASAP. I am hoping to make one for her to wear during our cold winter. I would really like to make 90% or so of her clothing for this school year, if I can pull it off. Until now I have been afraid to attempt sewing warm winter clothes, well that and I can't find any warm and cute looking winter dress patterns (especially now that K is getting into sizes 6 and 7, all the patterns look like they are meant for grown women!). So, here I am, on my knees begging you my wise, inspiring, creative friends - Do you know of any warm winter dress patterns that you would be willing to share?

What are you working on? Happy creating!!
------------------------------------------------------
And for all my fellow knitters : Don't forget the Mamma4earth giveaway is closing Thursday evening. Enter to win three of Linda's great patterns!

Comments (32)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

0 Vote up Vote down

Aimee B. · 727 weeks ago

I always liked Burda patterns for the children in my life. Very traditional European children's clothing...

0 Vote up Vote down

Colleen · 727 weeks ago

I have just discovered your blog I look forward to exploring it more. I am off to investigate 4 finger knitting lol, I have never heard of it before!

0 Vote up Vote down

Kelsey · 727 weeks ago

You should check out Ottobre! I love their designs but I have no experience with the patterns yet.

0 Vote up Vote down

suzy · 727 weeks ago

My little girl loves to finger knit. We haven't given the four finger knitting a go yet though. It looks so pretty!

0 Vote up Vote down

Tracey · 727 weeks ago

I love that your daughter learned to finger knit and is designing her own patterns. Her knitting looks just lovel. Now I need a lesson so in a few years I can teach the wee one here.

0 Vote up Vote down

kate · 727 weeks ago

I bet you would love New Look 6309. It is easy and quite modest, and includes a jumper/sundress, long-sleeved dress, short sleeved dress, and coat. Many fabric and styling options, and it is nice and long. Plus I think WalMart sells these patterns for around $3 so you can put your money toward nice fabric.
http://www.simplicity.com/p-2300-child-dresses.as...

1 reply · active 727 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

wifemomknitter 39p · 727 weeks ago

Way to go, Little K! It looks awesome.

+2 Vote up Vote down

paulaayn 37p · 727 weeks ago

Burda is always a good choice. candleonthehill.net has great patterns and a lot of them include a range of sizes. I've also used a few from commonsensepatterns.com, these also come in a range of sizes. sensibility.com is a wonderful site for Momma and daughter dresses. These come in all sizes. I really don't make 'winter' dresses. I make most of Ella's dresses with short sleeves so she won't outgrow them so fast. If she gets cool, Ella puts on a sweater. I have made the occasional dress from flannel, but those will have short sleeves too (and big hems). Or I make Ella jumpers and then we can put on a short or long sleeve t shirt underneath.

0 Vote up Vote down

TusliLeaf · 727 weeks ago

I love looking at your knitting projects. always inspirational.

0 Vote up Vote down

Jennifer Smith · 727 weeks ago

As someone else mentioned, I would try working w/ seperates. Jumpers in a medium weight corduroy can be worn w/ a tank under in summer or with a wool tee and leggings in winter. You could also do a jumper in a wool suiting New Look 6504 is similar to one I've used in the past for my girls. If you're comfortable sewing knits, I like the Farbenimix Olivia Dress pattern (the woven pinafore runs wide, but the knit dress is fantastic). http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=...

+1 Vote up Vote down

jumbleberryjam 58p · 727 weeks ago

Hurray for handknits for the knitter!! Can't wait to see the shalom. Congrats to K for working out finger knitting...I still haven't yet ;-). Love the yarn she's using. Re: winter dresses...I can't help but think of the blue cashmere dress Caroline Ingalls made for Laura (which book was it now? Little Town on the Prairie?) by hand! Absolutely shocking. I can't imagine sewing muslin, let alone cashmere! Best of luck finding sweet patterns for your beautiful girls.

0 Vote up Vote down

Nahuatl Vargas · 727 weeks ago

I have not made them yet, but what do you think of Simplicity 5391 or 9854?
I have a couple of pattern magazines that I will not use, they are in Spanish, but maybe you could use them, I can send them to you.

0 Vote up Vote down

Tanya · 727 weeks ago

I have no suggestions for fall/winter wear as I am just getting up the courage to sew, but I am looking forward to see what you come up with! I only have one girl (and she has 3 older brothers) and I have been sooo surprised at how "grown up" girls clothing is...even for toddlers! Mini skirts, really??? Yay, for K and four finger knitting! I would love to know more about the yarn she is using. That looks like it would be perfect for my 5.5 year old son when we introduce it in our homeschooling kindy.

+1 Vote up Vote down

stitchandpurl 44p · 727 weeks ago

The finger knitting looks fabulous, as do your other projects - lots of lovely things going on in your home!
I only have a little guy, so no experience - yet - with sewing girls' clothes. Maybe one day!

0 Vote up Vote down

Healing Hillary · 727 weeks ago

How tricky is that lovely bonnet to make? I am the *worst* at following patterns...

0 Vote up Vote down

Jessica · 727 weeks ago

What about Oliver + S? The Music Box Jumper looks very versatile. I guess their patterns are a bit spendy though....I'm not sure because I haven't purchased many patterns before! http://www.banberryplace.com/index.php?main_page=...

Can't wait to see the Shalom!

0 Vote up Vote down

Angela · 727 weeks ago

Love what you are sewing and knitting. You have got one talented little girl there!

0 Vote up Vote down

Erin @ Wild Whispers · 727 weeks ago

This post makes me want to look into Waldorf even more than I already have. Thanks for sharing this!

0 Vote up Vote down

Sachi · 727 weeks ago

Hi Nicole. Oh I love the yarn for the baby. Just beautiful. And your daughter is finger knitting?! I have been trying to teach my five and a half year old and it has not taken hold. Maybe I should heed to Steiner and back off a bit.

0 Vote up Vote down

heirloom seasons · 727 weeks ago

"Steiner never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of ages and readiness." Yes yes yes! I have seen this year after year!
Such sweetness with the finger knitting.
I will think some about the long sleeve dress patterns. Maybe you need a japanese sewing book, which might not sound helpful, but I love mine and you can mix and match some of the pattern pieces (or completely alter them like I do) it gives you lots of possibilities...
I love the 90% homemade clothing goal. I'm aiming for 99% :)
XOXO

0 Vote up Vote down

Kelly · 727 weeks ago

Your plea for winter dress patterns immediately reminded my of this post over at Small Things http://www.gsheller.com/2011/01/winter-dresses.ht... very aptly titled "The Winter Dresses". The pattern is from here http://www.makeitperfect.com.au/MIP/Sprout.html and looks very warm and comfortable.

0 Vote up Vote down

Gail · 727 weeks ago

My DD is 5 1/2 (attends a Steiner school too!) and is loving finger knitting. She comes home every day with piles of her creations. Haven't heard of 4 finger knitting though. Looks beautiful! My son turns 3 on Sat. Makes me laugh when I read your posts because we have so much in common. :) The clothes you make are beautiful!! x

0 Vote up Vote down

Tricia · 727 weeks ago

My niece who will only wear dresses lives in these dresses in the winter. http://www.simplicity.com/p-1938-child-dresses.as...
For my daughter, because she's still so tiny (she's almost 3 but about the size of a 1 year old), I'm planning on doing a lot of layering for dresses, especially a lot of pinafore type dresses over long sleeve shirts and tights.

0 Vote up Vote down

Melissa · 727 weeks ago

I like to do overall type dresses with long sleeve shirts underneath them and leggings/ tights. I do feel your pain though I have 2 little girls and all they want to wear are dresses, we live in San Francisco so in the summer thats not a problem but it gets cold in the winter and they never believe me how cold it is until they get outside and the wind blows right through them.

0 Vote up Vote down

Provincial Homemaker · 727 weeks ago

My daughter is only 1 so I don't have any pattern suggestions per se, but have you had a look around for vintage patterns at a thrift shop. They usually run to larger sizes. Thank you for your continued inspiration. I went out and bought the bloomers pattern you showed the other day - I had been trying to find a pattern for ages.

Post a new comment

Comment as a Guest, or login:

Share on Facebook

Connected as (Logout)

Email (optional)

Not displayed publicly.

Tweet this comment

Connected as (Logout)

Email (optional)

Not displayed publicly.

Submit Comment

Subscribe to

Comments by IntenseDebate

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Thank you for joining me here. My name is Nicole Spring AKA wife, Waldorf homeschooling Mama to four sweet little ones, homemaker of the radical kind, knitter, cook, seamstress, student of life as well as my children, crafter, girl of all trades... and always with a camera in hand to document our days so we may look back at these glorious yet exhausting times.

I enjoy hearing from you and would love it so much if you wouldn't mind taking the time to leave a comment. They mean so much to me (honestly, they make my day!). I appreciate not only seeing all that you have to say but also being blessed to get to know you better. If you ask a question please check back here for my response. I try my hardest to respond quickly. Thank you so much!!