Lapland in Felt!!

My 13 year old girl has finished her project!
A miniature felt Lapland, complete with a little Saami family, teepee and reindeer!
Let's say it was a mother/daughter collaboration.
The reindeer was needle felted with antlers fashioned out of Fimo modelling clay and the tee pee is covered in scraps of leather all glued together. It was the first time I used a glue gun, and I've gotta say, what a revolutionary move that was! Instant satisfaction!

joining Nicole of Frontier Dreams' "Keep Calm Craft On"

the heart of winter

The sun has been shining and we've been having wintry beach adventures on the Bass Strait!
LOVE!

The parade of knitwear...someone's mother is a wee bit obsessed....

yep, that's her...

  and a hearty craft project!

We are making a family of Sami people, nomadic reindeer herders from the Arctic! and Inspired by a most divine book: Children of the Northlights by the incredible artist couple Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire. Such incredibly beautiful illustrations!
It seems very fitting we are making these warmly clad folk in the heart of winter, and having just oh so myuch fun with the details! The hats! The embroidery and little shawls. The shoes with the curled up toes for holding on skis, and darned if I'm not going to whip up some little skis any minute!

not finished yet! The reindeer needs antlers, and where's the teepee!!

And!  What's on the needles??

Here is Hitch, a design by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark, and appearing in Brooklyn Tweed's Wool People 5: a jumper (sweater/pullover) for moi! It's a very fun pattern, knit in pieces (my lord, seaming!), and a bit of cable and simple lace pattern at the front.
I'm using Rowan Felted Tweed DK in Clay.
Yarning Along with Ginny!
And reading this magnificent children's book by one of my all time favourite illustrators: Mitsumasa Anno. ANNO'S FLEA MARKET. No text just pages and pages of fascinating market stalls in a medieval town square. Love it!

ravelled here

AND Frontier Dreams'  Keep Calm Craft On (very wise advice!)

a sea breath or, knitting elsewhere

We went to the beach for a couple of days, just enough to see the forest for the trees, well and the curly ferns too!

and have a bit of peaceful knitting time on a different comfy lounge! heaven!

 

 I'm back working on Lyttelton by Kate Davies, a fantastic shrug with cables AND lace! Not so difficult once you get into the swing of it either. I'm trying out the Quince and Co Tern (silk/wool) in Backbay colour for this one. Not sure I like it so very much but I'll wait and see how it washes. I hope it softens up. If I was to knit again (god forbid!) I think I'd choose a sproingy sock yarn like madelinetosh sock

ravelled here

I've been reading Elizabeth Zimmerman's most charming natterings in the Knitter's Almanac. I just love her so much! Her words have such a warmth and friendliness, it's as though you are sitting in front of an open fireplace knitting with her!

On the way home we visited a gorgeous lighthouse, called affectionately by the locals as "The White Queen",  built in 1890 to guide the ships along the Bass Strait. I have a fondness for lighthouses. Kate Davies of Needled (and the designer of my current knitting project) featured the cute stout little lighthouses by the Stevenson family in Scotland in her wonderful book, Colours of Shetland. I love her design for the sweater and gauntlets, and intend to make them, one day.....

 Joining Ginny for her Yarn Along


and Nicole of Frontier Dreams' "Keep Calm Craft On"

Mabel's Exercise Book Cover Tutorial!!

 

 

 You can cover any kind of exercise book, but the kind with hard covers work best.

Lay your book over the fabric you want. Cotton or linen works best.

 Leave a good size border around the book on all side and with your ruler draw a line for where to cut. We just use our eyes to judge how straight things are.

 Cut!

 Use your fingers to press an inner seam.

 Then fold over again, so the raw edge is hidden.

Pin and sew edges.

 Now do the same for the short edges. Fold over like before, pin and sew.

 Now, line up on the fabric and fold over the edges to make the envelop sides. 

Pin and sew!

 You now have a book cover! If you would like a piece of elastic to keep your book closed, just cut a length of elastic and sew it onto the very edge of the top and bottom of the back fold.

Add mushrooms, flowers or whatever else you can think of!! Hooray!!!

Now you have pretty exercise books for school!
And the best thing is, when you've used up your exercise book, you can take it out and put the cover on the new one!!
Have fun!

A Crafty Education.

We visited an Australian Steiner/Waldorf School Fair this morning and I busied myself gasping with amazement and snapping photos of all the incredible craft work!

It must feel like such an achievement for the children, to look upon their craft work over the years. They must feel so capable, so self sufficient , to be able to make such useful and beautiful things!

First was the Pre-school/ Kindergarten work! Plant dyed wool (except for the blue which was food dye) pom poms, oodles of finger knitting, stitching on loose hessian and Knitting Nancies.

Class 1 : more pom poms, first attempts at knitting, stitched recorder bags, knitted lambs(from squares).

 Class 2: Knitted animals, "starburst sticth" pillows, needles holder case, simple weavings.

 Class 3: cross stitch (see my post), bags with stitching and weaving, knitted beanies and toys...

 

 Class 4: the magnificent fair isle knitting! Bags, toys..., picture tapestries based on Norse mythology...

 

Class 5: the introduction of crochet, ponchos, hats, bags, toys and picture weavings

 Class 6: Dolls!!!!