Waldorf Wool Roving Star Tutorial (and a little Santa Lucia love)

Our Santa Lucia day was full of beauty and excitement. Truth be told, it may have been a bit too much excitement - I am exhausted. I just don't think I have the energy to articulate my thoughts on such a special day, especially thoughts on my sweet boy who was named after St. Lucia.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a craft I learned at our Heart of Advent event this year. It's a simple but stunning wool roving star. When I made mine at the school I thought to myself, this is something K could make, and I was right - she picked it up quite easily and now wants to make more.



What you'll need:

cardboard or heavy gauge wire (that is still pliable enough to form into a star)
wool roving in your choice of color
gold cord or embroidery floss
small bell

To begin either trace the pattern below onto cardboard and then cut it out or you can do what we did - shape heavy gauged wire into a star form using the same pattern as a guide. Trim or fold in the excess wire but try not to have it end at a point on the star as it might prick little fingers even after the roving layers. I did the wire shaping for K because it was a bit fidgety for her.

Please note - I do not have a scanner so I just photographed the star pattern. On my computer screen it comes up about  a 1/2" bigger than  the actual size. Our pattern measures 4" from the tip of the star to the bottom points as well as from the left point to the right point. But I am guessing if you traced it off the computer screen the 1/2" or so wouldn't make a big difference.





Now that you have you star shape take a thin strand of wool roving and wind it around the star taking extra care with the corners.(Just like with wet felting - you always have to have lots of thin layers. It works much better than trying to do it with a couple of thick layers - trust me!) Keep winding the thin layers until the outline is approximately 1/2" wide or to what looks good to you.

Notice how the star is slowly getting thicker in the photos below











I don't have any photos of the last steps but I think you get the idea...
In a similar manner, wind the gold floss around the star and tie the ends together.
Hang the bell in the middle of the star using the gold floss, as well.
With the same floss, create a loop for hanging.

Tah dah - you're done! I hope you enjoy making them as much as K and I did. Happy creating!!

Waldorf Wool Roving Star Tutorial (and a little Santa Lucia love)

(Homeschooling) Lessons with Wool

Back in September, C and I started our own wool lessons on our craft days. On our very first craft day she dyed yarn herself using our own kool-aid tutorial.  We used burly spun yarn  that we picked up from our school store for this project, as it was the perfect weight for what I had in store for C after we dyed it. This was to be her very own yarn so I wanted to her to dye it however she wanted to. She chose 5 different colors (I regret that I did not write down their names) and had a blast using the baster to squirt dye everywhere (hence, the outdoor dyeing pictures!).

You might appreciate that in true Portlandia style,  it was impossible to find  kool-aid anywhere here in Portland. Believe me, we searched! I am happy it's not a normal thing here but since we (only) use it as dye - I am also a bit disappointed. Thankfully I remembered I bought a bunch back in Virginia (it was quite plentiful, I am sad to say) and kept it in a folder in my filing cabinet for future dyeing projects.





We broke out the sheep toys that have been put away for years to keep Little L happy while we worked

On the following craft day (I purposely look for projects that can stretch out over many days to help nurture patience.) C wound her yarn into many little balls. These balls were to be used for finger knitting. (That's why I wanted the thick yarn) Does that seem a bit odd to do many little balls instead of just one big one? Well, it did to me until  a few years back when I gave K one large ball for a special project and she refused to knit with it. I later learned from her teachers that seeing such a large amount was just too overwhelming for a child her age (4 at the time). So using one small ball at a time is much more manageable for small children. They can finger knit the whole ball with their shorter attention span or put it down for later. Either way, it won't seem endless to them and that is what matters.











I first taught C how to make a slip knot  (I use that for starting both finger knitting and knitting with needles).Then I said this verse while finger knitting on my own ball of yarn:

"Into the lake,
pull out the snake"

When we say "Into the lake"we put our hand into the large loop (the slip knot)coming in from the top
and  then for "pull out the snake" we grab on to the yarn tail (that is still attached to the ball) below and pull it through until it forms a new lake. Then we just repeat the process over and over again. Repetition is key. And since children learn by imitation it is best if you sit with them with your own ball of yarn finger knitting as well.(Side by side is best. If you sit in front of them then they are watching the process backwards which can be a bit confusing!)

She did quite a few stitches and then decided the toys Little L was playing with looked like too much fun to pass by.



She has since gone through half of her finger knitting balls, picking up her knitting on her own throughout our days. I think it's safe to say she likes it!

p.s - Don't forget the Belambolo giveaway is still going on here.

(Homeschooling) Lessons with Wool

soap making

If you have been following me on Pinterest then you probably saw this post coming...

There is a little cherub in my home who loves to play in water. She would spend all of her days in the bathtub, washing dishes, mopping the floor, washing her hands and/or just pouring water, if I would let her. Along with playing in the water this little cherub of mine loves to use soap. In fact she has so much fun with it that she can use up a whole bar of soap in one day. As you can imagine, with our Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap costing $4.00 a bar, we couldn't carry on this way. Yet, who am I to complain over her wanting to be clean? That's a good thing, right? (Please nod you head yes with me here.)

Thankfully, we found a solution to our soap dilemma thanks to this tutorial. It turns a bar of soap into one gallon of liquid soap. Plus it's so easy to make I could involve both my girls in making it.





We all took turns grating the soap. Then we added it to one gallon of water in a big pot on our stove top along with two tablespoons of liquid glycerin. Side note on the liquid glycerin - the tutorial says you can find it in the band-aid aisle at your local grocery store. Well, that wasn't true - at least not here in Portland, OR. I searched three different grocery stores before finally stopping at Target and asking a pharmacist if and where they had it. They did have it, but it was kept behind the counter. Little did I know that liquid glycerin was used in bomb making - YIKES! You learn something new each day...



We cooked the mixture until all of the soap dissolved and then let it sit over night. When we checked it in the morning it was cloudy and thicker looking, like it should have been, but it was still really runny. I looked over the tutorial again and realized that it called for an 8 oz bar of soap and my Dr. Bronners was 5 oz. So we grated another half of a bar of soap and added that. We let it sit again for 12 hours and then blended it in the food processor. The mixture is still not quite the right consistency but it does it's job well. We'll play with it some more in the future. In the meantime C I mean my cherub can clean her hands, toys and whatever else strikes her fancy until her heart is content.



I almost forgot to mention, once we decided we would be making our own soap we knew we needed dispensers to put it in. My love of vintage canning jars led me to this tutorial. How great is that?! I ended up buying mine off of Etsy but we need one for each sink in the house so I will be making some of my own soon.

And now for something completely different...



C had me giggling hysterically with her birthday card eye peeking antics, so naturally I had to share.



Baby L is on the verge of something big, at least that's what we are thinking. He has been very clingy, and inconsolable all week. He had a fever of 103 for a couple of days but never showed any signs of being sick. The only thing that makes him happy right now is being outdoors with his Daddy. Who knows, maybe he'll take his first steps soon or another tooth will come through. We'll have to wait and see!

soap making

smitten and sick

After another horrible night of sleep last night (even after I have drastically changed my diet again - more on that later), Baby L and I came downstairs to see my girls. I should probably mention here that every Saturday night is 'Daddy snuggle night' for my girls. Since they only get to see him one or two days a week, they get this special night of bonding with him alone. Kevin puts our futon mattress in front of the wood stove downstairs and he and the girls all sleep there together. It's such a sweet little tradition they have going on. When we reached the bottom of the stairs C came rushing up to greet us. I looked at the bed and saw K and Kevin still asleep. Then K must have heard me walk in and in a sad voice she said, " Mama, we can't go to Mass today." I asked her why, knowing that it must be something major for her to feel the need to miss Mass. Then she burst into tears saying, "My ear really hurts!" I rushed over to check on her and then Kevin informed me that she hardly slept all night because she was in so much pain. He said he didn't want to wake me (but I wish he did). This was the first ear ache in our family's history so I had to stop and think about what to do. I knew I didn't want to take her to Urgent Care as they would just give her antibiotics. (I made that mistake when she was a baby. They misdiagnosed her with an ear infection and gave her antibiotics. When I took her to her regular doctor the next day she said K didn't have anything wrong with her ears. It was a big frustrating mess.) Instead I remembered a remedy I had come across when she was a baby. Back then I was certain any child of mine would get earaches as Kevin and I both had them all the time as babies, so I tried to prepare for them. We kept a bottle of this homeopathic remedy in our medicine cabinet at all times. It sat there unopened for years and eventually expired. I actually just recently threw it away. Of course following Murphy's law - now one of my children gets an ear infection/ache. I ran upstairs to our kitchen and grabbed some garlic and extra virgin olive oil and then I proceeded to make her an ear remedy.
I put some in her ear and she fell asleep. She slept for hours but still woke up in pain. I gave her another dose of the ear drops and she slept again. The next time she woke up she was feeling better. By the third dose she was able to sit up and play with her baby brother again. We'll see how she is in the morning but I plan on continuing the drops for another day. Thank goodness for natural remedies made from things we have readily available in our home!



Ear Remedy:

Pour two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic and place in the oil (or use a garlic press). Warm the oil for a few minutes on very low heat. Make sure your garlic doesn't brown, you only want to infuse the oil. Strain the garlic out of the oil and pour it into a sterilized tincture with a dropper. Have your child lay on her/his side so that the affected ear is facing the ceiling and apply 2-3 drops in the affected ear. Cover the ear with a cotton ball and keep your child laying down in this position for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the oil is at room temperature or warmer when applying it to the ear. Cold oil can make her/his ear hurt more! Apply 3-4 times a day until it appears to be cleared up.

Store in the refrigerator. It should last for a couple of weeks, but honestly to be on the safe side I will just dump out the remaining mixture once she is all better. It's so fast and easy to make I could just make it as we need it.




Ahem - yes, Baby L will be wearing his new sweater in every picture from now on...

In other news - meet Marble. Isn't she the sweetest little dog? I promise you we didn't adopt another animal into this zoo of ours. She was lost last Friday and made her way to us. I swear, lost dogs just seem to know to come to us. I heard our dogs going crazy outside and when I looked out the window I saw marble in our driveway running back and forth. I opened up the front door to see what was going on and she ran into our house. The girls we ecstatic over this and Baby L was quite smitten, too. Thankfully, she had a collar on and a microchip so I was able to contact her owner. Marble only stayed with us about a half hour but it was a half hour of pure joy. The girls were sad that she had to go but once they saw the relief and happiness on her owner's face they felt better about letting her go. A nice little lesson of compassion (amongst other things) for the day.



Smitten I tell you, absolutely smitten. I think the feeling was mutual. Thanks for the fun Marble!!

-----------------

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win one of two pocket playsliks from Sarah's Silks here.

smitten and sick

Heart crafting

This time last year I was experiencing quite the nesting phase in my pregnancy so the girls and I made wool acorn necklaces as our Valentine's day gifts for everyone we knew. This year I am in a constant state of taking on too much and feeling overwhelmed so I was looking for a project we could finish in one session. I was thinking of possibly rolling candles and decorating them with hearts but that even seemed too involved at the moment. In steps my always resourceful friend with her 'children's valentine greeting ideas'. We decided to use our beeswax sheets to make heart ornaments, instead. They were fast and simple - just what this Mama needed. These are great last minute projects, too - you know, just in case you haven't made your Valentine's day crafts yet...







All you do is use a heart shaped cookie cutter (we found ours at Jo-Anns for .99 cents) and cut out two hearts per ornament. They can be the same color or two different colors. On a side note we learned it was easiest to cut them out by the warm fire. When we tried to in our cold kitchen I literally had to step on the cutter with all of my weight to get it to cut through the cold wax. It must have been quite the sight, let me tell you!



Then we cut a piece of hemp cord (just what we had on hand- you could use twine, yarn, embroidery floss or whatever you desire) and pressed it's end in towards the middle of the heart. After that, we took the other heart and gently placed it on top, sandwiching the cord in between the two layers. Using our finger tips we crimped the edges all the way around the heart (especially where the cord comes out to really secure it) and then hung it up to test it out. You can leave them as they are or decorate them more. The girls added hearts they made out of modeling beeswax on to some of them.

For my homeschooling friends out there this project is a great mini art/color theory lesson. When the children use two primary colors for the hearts they learn how to combine them to make secondary colors. For example, C used a yellow heart and a blue heart to make an ornament. When she finished and hung it up in the window for the sun to shine through, she discovered her heart was green. Gotta love lessons like those.

More of our Valentine's day preparations:



We made a heart shaped Valentine's day countdown chain (found online here). Instead of using colored paper I had the girls color the pieces how they wanted to. My girls really are not that interested in 'coloring things in' and prefer to draw and create their own images. You can see proof of this below:



This is C's first ever self portrait. She drew it on the back of the chain paper. I had to snap a picture of it before we could even think about cutting it.



We hung up the heart mobile K and I made many years ago (when our dear friend Tiffeni used to host Waldorf events at her store Kinderhaus) above our nature table.




(Let's just ignore the messy windows with muddy dog paw prints on them, shall we?)



We also decorated the girls' table in the kitchen with their seasonal tree and some past Valentine's day crafts.



One more day left of heart shaped crafting fun! It just doesn't seem to grow old.

----------------------------
p.s - There is still time to enter to win your own GLOB paint kit. Details here.

Heart crafting