Gloaming Designs

For the love of owls and the season

inspired by (and wishing i could buy from) knock knocking, i endeavored to make a Halloween season (because, yes, it is a season, not a day) wreath.  mine has a papier mâché owlette, some pumpkin yarn, crinkly brown paper, silver cording, glossy feathers and some amazing seed pods i had collected when we lived in Grenoble in 2006.

now it's darlingness is gracing our door, and, indeed, the entire floor as i am the only one who decorates their front door here on the 6th floor.  so, i hope the neighbors like it too.

Eggplant Zephyr

i did my first KAL with my knitting group and the result as not come off my shoulders since it was finished at the park this past weekend:

 

 

 

Eggplant Zephyr (rav)

Pattern: Textured Shawl Recipe (rav)

Needles: 8 US / 5.0 mm circular

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight in Eggplant #512

this yarn is the best!  it is so incredibly soft and the color is rich.  highly recommended and i think i'll be doing other projects in this yarn (squirrel and oak mittens (rav)?)

the pattern is very simple and easily adaptable to be different sizes by adding or decreasing sections of texture or garter.  several of us found that we needed to make one small modification though: the pattern calls for 7 stitches to be cast on and working in stockinette for two rows with markers placed after the first two stitches, around the middle stitch, and before the last two stitches.  these markers then mark where you increase every right side row.  but on the first increase row of the texture pattern we all ended up with one stitch too many on either side of the middle stitch.  we solved this by K2tog just before the second increase and after the third increase.  although i didn't try it, i imagine you could avoid this simply by casting on 9 instead of 7 to begin.

but i love it - just the right amount of warmth and so wearable!

Havana

i finally (finally!) managed to make an apron in time for Amy's Tie One On.  the theme was Havana Nights and my idea of Havana is vague at best.  i flickr searched for images and looked a bit on wikipedia just trying to get a little better feel for the city.  but my initial idea of vibrant colors and warm, lit nights prevailed.  i had had the idea of using a belt in the apron for the last theme (polka dots) but never got around to it.  perfect, because the belt was just what this theme needed.  this is an apron for a party (under strings of lights with a huge dance floor outside next to the ocean......).  the belt is thrifted and actually cut in the back for the ties



and sew onto the waist band.  so i knew i wanted to use the belt and the marigold fabric but the edging came from some linen scraps that got thrown on top of the pile.  but i love how usual it is.  the shape was the final question mark and the answer (or inspiration) came from, where else? Marie Claire Idees.

it's fun and i predict a myriad of aprons in this shape.

On this day

twenty-five years ago this day (in a land far, far away) a boy was born.  one who would grow up to be a young man with loving arms.  an open heart.  an uncomplicated sense of right.  ideas for a better world.  a belief in the goodness of those he loves.

such a small gift to someone who gives me so much.  an image from my hands of some of the things i see as part of him.

so, Happy Birthday, sweetheart.

a.

Secrets

tu es belle.

it's true.

and it's a secret note for you fastened to the front of this vintage French linen and lace pouch with a vintage glass button.

how lovely to have a little reminder everytime you reach for your hairpins or sunglasses, as this pouch can hold all the little things you need in a day or while traveling.

in the shop.

Foret Blanche

in the shop.

Summer's Eve (excerpt)

Oh! how I love, on a fair summer's eve,

When streams of light pour down the golden west,

And on the balmy zephyrs tranquil rest

The silver clouds, far - far away to leave

All meaner thoughts, and take sweet reprieve

From little cares; to find, with easy quest,

A fragrant wild, with Nature's beauty drest...

Keats

vintage French linen and cream leaves from vintage fabric, stitched with silver thread.

happy weekend!

La Mer

in the shop now, Mer Bleue and Mer Grise.

(adore)

hand constructed 'fabric' from scraps that are then topstitched in an abstract pattern.  framed by pieces of a vintage French linen sheet.

in other news, i guess i'm the last one to hear the Polaroid news.  and i know life is an ebb and flow but, well, i'm sad about this.  i won't have as much time with this friend as i thought.  start stockpiling!  maybe it was a sign that that man with the yard sale yesterday tried to get me to take a little dorm refrigerator.

Spring Arrival

so, due to an address 'thing', i wasn't greeted with the glorious morning of tea and reading of Marie Claire Idees a while ago when the spring issue went out to the rest of you.  it's ok, i have faith i will see it.  but in the mean time, something else arrived:

Marie Claire Idees Hors-Serie Bebe!

Each year (starting 2 years ago, this is the third) M.C. puts out a special edition in April.  the first was their "100 Best Ideas", the second was Kitchen Decor and this year it's baby.  now, this copy (and indeed, my other copies) comes grace of Yvonne, my boyfriend's mother and crusader for French education.  She assured me that the gift of this issue holds no ulterior motive and that there are plenty of things to make, even for the baby-less.  and she is very right. here are just a few of the things i'll be obsessing about making.

these little birds are perched on twigs and framed by delicate wire cages that are so airy.  i adore this and am trying really hard not to go get the glue and twigs in the hallway right now.

i would love to take a nap with these simple wooden shutters mimicking night with glowing stars and planets, let alone put a baby down for a nap in that room.

and, of course, this little album is perfection: natural linen with a fabric photo of the subject and just a bit of rickrack peeking out over the edges.  there are so many occasions for these...

and i what can i say about this?  i adore it.

merci, Yvonne.

what's new

 

this past week and a half has been a little full.  at the end of the week last week we went off to Boston for a full-tilt weekend of running around trying to get everyone in the right place at the right time.  it didn't work, but it was still nice to see them all.  the time to stock up on vibrant conversations and artistic sparks - oh we need more of that!

but just before that, and after, these sweet towels were working on becoming a reality.  i love linen (no, really, is it obvious?) and so when a buyer asked about tea towels, well, there was no choice.  linen.  because of their different use in the kitchen, the image on the towels is done with a direct printing method - very durable and completely washable.  the hem is nice and substantial - 1/2" all the way around.  quite frankly, after the three popular crowned designs were printed up, i began to think of so many more images i wanted on a tea towel.  they will come.  in fact, i couldn't help myself and printed a fourth design after the crowns.  but i'm saving that for just a tiny bit later.

so here they are in sets of the three crowns (lily crowned, rose crowned, and oak crowned) or individually.  sigh.  it's love.  speaking of love, wouldn't they make a gorgeous wedding gift, or a housewarming gift?  i know i wouldn't mind!

 

and because i couldn't resist, and Easter cosy.  bunnies, violets, robin's blue eggs.  lovely.

fruit punch or why kool-aid is not my drink of choice

this past weekend, i did this to some unsuspecting white yarn.  the tutorial came from KnitPicks but as we don't have a microwave, i tweaked it.  instead of 'zapping it' for two minutes, i turned the burner on under the pot until the liquid began to steam and quickly turned it off and set the pot on a trivet.

after the first round of this i pulled about 1/3 of the yarn out over the side of the pot and quickly learned that i should put a bowl under it lest capillary action make a pink swimming pool of my stovetop.  after the second round of heating i pulled another 1/3 out and after the third round of heating, i left the last 1/3 in the pot and went for a (very blustery) walk.

when i came back, the bowl was full of only faintly pink water and i had an amzing yarn that ranges from strawberries and cream pink to saturated red.  thanks to fruit punch Kool-Aid.

stay tuned in the coming week for what it will become!