Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.







Thank you for your warm wishes on my wrists. Giving them a week off helped tremendously. The wrist pain started with my first pregnancy and has been off and on ever since then. I have been fortunate that it is 'off'' most of the time.

I picked up a top secret knitting project for a friend who just recently welcomed a new little life into the world. Well, it's a couple of projects actually for both of her children. But, just in case she sees this I can say no more...at least not for the time being.

Back in September I joined the Winterwoods ABCs Cross-stitch Sampler Stitch Along fully intending to keep on course and stitch at least two letters a week. Well now we are on week 5, I believe, and I have only just begun. I am a very bad stitch along participant. Feel free to shake your finger at me!

I had never cross stitched before in my life, but this project is just so beautiful and meaningful to me (Alicia lives in Portland, like me, and her sampler was inspired by the beauty here), I knew I had to do it. BUT because of what it meant to me and the fact that I had never tried this craft before, I was paralyzed by the fear of messing it up. So it sat there and I would  glance at it longingly at least once a day and then move on.

Fate stepped in last week and forced me to start on it. I had a horrible flu and was so weak I couldn't do much but lay by the fire curled up in a blanket with my little ones. Laying by that wood stove inspired me to get over my fears and just do it. After I finished my letter n I was hooked. Unfortunately, staring at those threads also made me queasy so I had to put it back down. I am hoping to get on track starting this week and maybe even try to catch up with everyone else. I also need to finish up that pocket doll for the school store, though...

What are you working on?

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

(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

Sponsored Giveaway : Belambolo Waldorf Inspired Dolls

I am happy to welcome back my wonderful sponsor Belambolo to the blog today.





Shop owner Heike Gielen is a doll artist that sews dolls according to Waldorf pedagogy - with a lot of passion, time and love. Not only does she sell the sweet dolls she makes in her shop but she also carries doll clothing, hand dyed yarn, doll making supplies, and more! I enjoy browsing her creations as often as I can.

Just in time to avoid the upcoming Holiday rush, Heike is offering one of you lucky readers:



A complete doll outfit for dolls 14" - 16"!

Very beautiful blue and green colours!
The outfit consists of

- a white tunic
- a blue and white flowered pinafore dress
- a blue crochet cap
- a green and blue colored pant with fruits

A perfect gift for every little doll mum!

Please note that the dolls modelling the clothes are not included in the offer.

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post!
If you would like additional chances to win:

- Post this giveaway to Facebook, Twitter or your blog
- Follow Heike's blog
- Visit Belambolo then come back and tell us what your favorite item is in her shop
- Let me know you are a dear follower of Frontier Dreams

and please make sure to come back and leave separate comment s letting me know you've done so!
I will close comments on Tuesday October 30th and announce the winner within this post that night.


Comments closed. Winner is:

boatbaby2  

Sweet little outfit! Thanks for the chance!

 

Congrats! Please e-mail me at: farmergopi(at)yahoo(dot)com

Thank you Heike. Please go check Belambolo out and support this wonderful small business. Best of luck to you all!

p.s - I apologize for being a bit behind (I have been down with a doozy of a flu) but the Luna Grey winner is now up within that post.

Sponsored Giveaway : Belambolo Waldorf Inspired Dolls

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.









No knitting for me this week. My wrists are bothering me so I am trying to give them a much needed break. However, I do have some homework I am working on from our last craft circle at school. It is an autumn themed pocket doll. Both K and C have already requested ones of their own (since this one is for the school store to sell), so I think I will be a bit busy with these for awhile. Part of me is wishing that they didn't see the one I am working on so that they could have been gifts from the Halloween Fairy. What can I say - Hindsight is 20/20.

After a lot of encouragement from K (who didn't get to see my owl from the previous craft circle due to it selling shortly afterwards) and listening to 'the Lost and Lonely Owl' a few times, I made another needle felted owl. This one was for our nature table, though. I think he came out a bit better than my first try, so just maybe if I keep at it, my needle felting will start to come together...

What are you working on?

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

Here we go a-pumkining

Photo by my talented friend Amy


Also by Amy






Corn maze (first grade field trip)


K's pumpkin carved in class by her 8th grade buddy *meow*


Another pumpkin picking adventure with friends





'Pumpkining' could be a word if I really wanted it to be, right?!
K's first grade class took a field trip to a pumpkin patch about 45 minutes away from school the other week and C, Little L and I got to tag along. K's very first field trip! Quite exciting!! We had to drive over a couple of bridges to get there (remember my irrational fear?) leaving me a bit panic-stricken, and regretting leaving my hammer at home. Yes, I am the crazy person who likes to keep a hammer in her car just in case the need to smash open my window ever arrives. I am begging Kevin to get me this for Christmas this year. Seems like the perfect way to feed calm my paranoia - wouldn't you say?
Nevertheless, bridges and all, we made it there in one piece. It was a beautiful day, just right for pumpkin picking. I didn't get any pictures when we were picking out our pumpkins (due to Mama meltdown probably stemming from my silly bridge anxiety) but thankfully my friend Amy was there and she snapped those two beautiful pictures above. The children brought their pumpkins back to class and then they carved them with their 8th grade buddies last week. K chose a kitty face for her pumpkin, which didn't surprise me at all. She likes her pumpkins to be animals.

Last week we went pumpkin picking again, but this time  with one of of dear friends at a patch just down the road. Little L wore his finished pumpkin hat for the occasion but only for a moment. Neither of my girls ever gave me any problems with wearing hats but this little guy really puts up a struggle with them. He has worn them since birth but now he has quite a strong will of his own and will only wear one if he doesn't notice me putting it on him. Steiner had a strong view on warmth for children as do those who follow his teachings, and I feel the same way - I have probably mentioned it far too many times on here. He also believed that one of the most critical gifts we can give a child is to ensure they have sufficient warmth by keeping their head covered, which ‘keeps the inner soul warm’. Little ones are dependent on us to dress them appropriately because they do not have a fully developed sense for temperature. Knowing this just makes it all the more troublesome for me with Little L's refusal of hats. At least he still wears his wool layers. I will count my blessings, just keep trying, and  remind myself this is just a season we are going through.

 p.s - There is still time to enter for your chance to win some beautiful Luna Grey yarn here!

Here we go a-pumkining

Homeschooling Moments

 
K's 'Our Lady of Guadalupe in a field of Castilla flowers' needlefelted art

 

Homeschool  lunch time at school - notice the orange slices all around Little L's seat (and his cute feet dangling over the chair like a big boy!)

I said I would post some moments from our homeschooling days before they were terribly out of date BUT I didn't manage to pull that off.  I am always behind, so really that shouldn't be any surprise. Anyways, these pictures of C painting were from Michaelmas. You can see she was working very hard to keep her paint brush on it's 'tippy-tippy toes' and close all the windows (paint the whole piece of paper). We were doing our magic crayon painting (you can see more on that here) and I incorporated it into two days of homeschooling that week. At the end of drawing day I gave C the special Stockmar 'invisible' beeswax crayon and told her to draw anything she wanted with it, then on painting day we would see magic happen before our eyes.  She was a bit confused since she couldn't see what she was drawing but then when we broke out the paint on painting day and her picture started showing up she was delighted. I think we'll use these crayons a bit more often, but not too often - I would like to keep them as a magical experience for them.  I wanted to add that you can still soak your watercolor paper for wet on wet painting (as we did) when using the beeswax crayon. It didn't effect it at all. My source for these crayons was my friend Tiffeni back in Virginia but she has since closed her shop. I have seen them at Spring Creek Store, though.

On another note I have been a emotional mess the past couple of weeks. I almost burst into tears today over a construction worker yelling (very loudly!) to get my attention. Kevin will tell you that I am very sensitive (hmm, I wonder where C gets it from???) I have been chatting with friends about it and it seems I am not the only one. A lot of my friends here have been feeling somewhat similar. We are wondering if perhaps it's the impending 9 month Oregon rain season due to arrive any minute now. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the rain and what it does to our green beautiful land here. I barely ever saw rain while living in Virginia unless it was a huge storm but the dark, dank and dreariness that comes with the rain is what gets to me. I think we might have to try some vitamin D supplements this time around. Do any of you have any suggestions for safe, healthy ones? I just got word that season two of Downton Abbey is finally waiting for me at the library so maybe that will help lift my spirits in the meantime!

A big thank you to all of you for your encouragement and kindness over C's Koala Bear sweater. You made my week! I messed up my dates on the Luna Grey giveaway. I posted that it ended on October 16th (last Tuesday) when really it ends October 23rd (next Tuesday). I am sorry for the confusion. Please go enter if you haven't already done so!

Homeschooling Moments

KCCO : The Koala Edition & Luna Grey Fiber Arts Giveaway!

The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.





















After dreaming of this sweater for months it is finally done and on it's happy owner! I mentioned before that this project was envisioned  awhile ago but I just wasn't sure how to execute my plan. I wanted to make C a sweater that would remind her (and myself) of a koala bear. 'Koala bear' has been C's nickname for as long as I can remember. I don't even know how it started but it just fits her. She is my little shy, sensitive one that likes to cling on to me whenever she can. I wanted to knit her something that would truly make her feel special. Not just another knit from Mama (because let's face it, I am always knitting for my children) but one with meaning that she will truly treasure, but still be able to wear every day for climbing trees and things of that nature. I think I pulled  it off.

I didn't have a pattern in mind but I knew it had to be a grey sweater. I scoured Ravelry from some free goodies and then found Lila(c)loud. The pattern is newborn size but I modified it to fit C. I have detailed notes on my ravelry page. The one thing I would do differently if I was to knit this again is to make the button holes closer together, but otherwise it's C and Mama approved. I used all three of my skeins of yarn, biting my nails to the finish fearful I would run out.



Talk about cutting it close- this is all the yarn I had left! I ended up having more than enough, though. It fit perfectly before I blocked it, now it's a bit too big - but that's just room for growth! The reclaimed yellow cedar buttons from Wooly Moss Roots added the perfect finishing touch. I love the contrast between the buttons and the yarn. *swoon*

This sweater could not have happened without the help of Jackie at Luna Grey Fiber Arts. I knew I needed the perfect shade of grey to pull it off. I wanted it to be a semi-solid yarn to add more dimension to the knit. But seeing how I usually knit in colorful colorways for my children - grey was  a bit out of my comfort zone. Jackie understood exactly what I was looking for and custom made just what I wanted.The colorway is called Pewter. Her work truly exceeded my expectations. To top it off the yarn is next to skin soft which is extremely important when it comes to C's sensitive skin. She  describes most wool as 'itchy'.

Finishing this sweater seemed like the perfect time to introduce the talented and wonderful Jackie from Luna Grey Fiber Arts. I could go on and on and still not say enough good things about her, but I thought I would let her do the talking...


My shop name was inspired by my retired racing greyhound, Luna. She is a quiet, gentle, and ever present companion in my dye studio.

How did Luna Grey Begin?

I have been knitting for about 6 years and spinning yarn for 2 years. When I first started knitting, I did not pay much attention to the yarn I was using. My yarn budget was tight and I simply did not have the background knowledge to know which fibers to choose. I knit with whatever was available at my local, big box craft store. Once I found my local yarn shop, Tangle, it was all over. I was smitten with all of the gorgeous, natural fiber yarn in amazing colors and textures. I also began attending fiber festivals in my area. Here, I found awe inspiring collections of hand dyed yarn and fiber. The summer of 2010, I purchased some dye from a merchant while attending the Estes Park Wool Market in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado. I began playing around with dyeing yarn and roving. My hand dyed yarn attracted enough attention at my little knitting group that I started dyeing yarn for friends. They told their friends and it kind of took off from there.
 


Which do you enjoy more? The process of dyeing yarn? Or knitting yarn?

They are quite different so it's a little hard to compare. I love that with dyeing yarn, each skein is unique. I come up with color combinations in my head that I think will look a certain way once I put them onto yarn. However, I am often surprised to create something completely unexpected. When colors combine and overlap they do crazy things sometimes. I have learned that there are certain colors that always work well together and look amazing (like blue and green). While other color combinations are much harder to get right (like red and turquoise or yellow and gray). I can't imagine a time where dyeing yarn will feel like "work". It's still so fun and a great creative outlet. Knitting is really relaxing for me. It's how I unwind at the end of a busy day. I love that I can knit side by side with my kids while they are painting or reading. I also love being able to knit gifts for friends and family. There is something so comforting knowing that with each stitch you are thinking of your loved one. So much time and love and thought goes into every hand knit gift.


We raise chickens and bees on our 1/2 acre lot in the city.

Your colorways are breathtaking and you seem to be able to read minds when it comes to custom orders (you did with mine!). It all seems so intuitive for you. How do you come up with them?

Thanks, so much. That's really sweet of you to say. I am endlessly inspired by color combinations I see in the natural world. Here in the high desert of Western Colorado, we are surrounded with such beauty. We have the massive red rock cliffs of the Bookcliff Mountains to the north. The deep greens and grays of the Grand Mesa to our East. And, the stunning reds and golds of Colorado National Monument just to our South. I also fondly remember the colors of my home prior to living in Colorado. We lived in Key West, Florida for ten years. The Florida Keys are some of the most beautiful places on earth and are often in mind when I am thinking up blue or green colorways. I love doing custom orders. I know that sometimes you have a certain color in mind and you just can't seem to find it anywhere. With custom orders, you are able to basically design your own yarn. It puts some of the creative process in the hands of the customer and allows them to be involved in the process of coming up with the perfect color. What could be better than that?


My kids (boys ages 7 and 4) love to help me name my yarn colorways. They are so creative and come up with most of the names I use in my shop.

Thank you Jackie for taking the time to let us get to know you!

Jackie is giving one of you lucky readers the chance to see why I am just so head over heels in love with this yarn for yourself. She is offering a skein of yarn in her Tie Dye 2 colorway along with a knitting project bag.





Hand Dyed Superwash Wool Sock Yarn. 100g, 380 yds, 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon, Fingering weight. Perfect for socks, baby items, gloves, etc. Machine washes/dries beautifully and is next to the skin soft.

Knitting Project Bag - Crochet Project Bag - 100% Unbleached Cotton Muslin Drawstring Bag The perfect size bag for small knitting or crochet projects - 8" x 12" 100% Unbleached Cotton Muslin Drawstring Top Luna Grey Fiber Arts logo silkscreened in dark gray on one side of bag.

Jackie also has a sale currently running in her shop. Use coupon code "Halloween20" for 20% off your entire order when one or more skeins are orange (or partially orange) . This offer is good through October 31st, 2012

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post!
If you would like an additional chance to win:

-like Luna Grey on Facebook
-follow Luna Grey's blog
-post this giveaway to Facebook, Twitter, or your blog
-let me know you are a dear follower of Frontier Dreams

and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so! I will close comments on Tuesday October 23rd and announce the winner within this post that night.
Good luck everyone!

Comments Closed

The winner is:  

lori 

oooh, the sweater, your photos, your girl, gosh nicole it's all too gorgeous for words. i think you made something very special indeed, just beautiful. taryns buttons are such a pretty match too.
thank you for introducing luna grey fiber arts and jackie, i think she did a stunning job on your wool. thank you for the opportunity to win some of her lovely yarn and project bag (completly smitten with those). crossing fingers here!

Congrats Lori! Please e-mail me at: farmergopi(at)yahoo(dot)com

Now back to our regularly scheduled Keep Calm Craft On post!

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

KCCO : The Koala Edition & Luna Grey Fiber Arts Giveaway!