keep calm craft on

Yesterday my middle child had a "mental health" day off school, and she spent the afternoon starting a toy elephant. The elephant is a project often done in Steiner schools here in Australia to compliment the Ancient Indian epoch the children are immersed in.

We had such a blissful time, me finally getting around to fixing up my Steiner/Waldorf craft scrapbook and lending a helping hand and my girl patiently going through the steps of making an elephant.
I felt our afternoon working side by side was very special, and to me was a clear reminder of what parenting and creativity is all about for me. I didn't really get much "done", except a bit of pasting, but my girl was very pleased with the time with me, and her progress with her pink Elephant.

Lately I have heard a lot of conversations around motherhood and creativity, about "having it all",  living your creative dreams, earning a living from said creative dreams... In fact I've heard so much of this talk that I have started to feel unsettled, anxious even, questioning my choice to stay home with the children full time, questioning my own validity as a creative soul. Should I be doing more, working on big projects, earning more, making more....

And I've had a few thoughts:
For me, mothering is innately creative, probably due to the fact that children are innately creative. I am inspired by children and inspired to see them play, make things, hear them sing, marvel at their curiosity, marvel at how they grow and learn. I've also decided what I want most is to be around my children. I have a full time job. Mothering. There's not a lot of time (or energy!) for developing a career right now. And I'm okay with that.
I am also an intensely creative person. I knit ferociously, I obsess about colours, I sing, my kids sing, we make stuff. I guess we kinda bumble around in a bit of a creative mist.
Even though I may not be recognised as creatively "successful" by the outside world, an afternoon making things with my lovely daughter felt like a real moment. And validation that our small creative path in the domestic sphere is enough. It is special. That this is nourishing the world in a tiny precious unpredictable sort of way.
That's all I've got to say on the topic for now!
Hope you enjoy the snaps!

linking to
Nicole's Keep Calm Craft On

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!!!!

Needles and Hooks and the Launch of a Local

In Class 5 in Steiner/Waldorf schools in Australia, the children start crochet. (Rudolf Steiner actually indicated that it should begin in Class 2, but in Australia, we knit English style, with the yarn held in the right hand. If you knit European style, with the yarn held in the left, transitioning to crochet is much easier. Therefore, in Australia, we wait until Class 5) After years of knitting, they are ready for a new challenge, and in my experience they really love it!
They often make a bag, and in my daughter's case, a backpack for school. My daughter then decided to make a little one for her little brother! Sweet!
I've started another one in rainbow colours. Double crochet all the way with 16ply wool and a 7mm crochet hook.

 We have had busy hands around here, having launched a project involving sixteen 11/12 year olds and twenty-three skeins of Peace Fleece . we are making a blanket for a beloved teacher of six years, but sssshhhh, it's a secret.

 There's a bit of fair isle, intarsia and one colour patterns. Lovely!

And on my needles is a special cowl just for me me me!!!

The pattern is the Dovetail Cowl by Carina Spencer, and I'm knitting it with some divine yarn from Tanis Fibre Arts 

Orange Label Cashmere Silk and Merino

Worsted weight

Colour: Sand (It's very silver, with a tiny but very strong speck of yellow occasionally)

And finally, I am very, very  excited to have in my possession the newly released US edition of Melbourne writer Anna Branford's most splendid book, Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot!!!
What I like about the illustrator for this edition, Elanna Allen, is the fact that there are loads of knitted stitches in her drawings!

Here's Anna herself with the delightful little tome in hand!

Congratulations Anna!!

May many many American children enjoy discovering your delicious little free thinker, Violet!

Signs...

It is about mid August in Melbourne, when the wattle is turning mustard and the giant magnolia trees suddenly blossom, that I start feeling hopeful for the return of warmth. Sure, it's a little out of touch with reality. We will get plenty more freezing night and icy winds, but the blossoms signal hope, change and moving on!

As for the knitting, nothing will stop me!

I finished another hot water bottle cover with Fair isle patterns on both side, made in 16ply pure wool from Uralla Wool Room. This is what my daughters did in Class 4 as part of the Steiner/Waldorf craft curriculum. Ravelled here.

How to make your own Fair Isle Knitted Hottie Cover 

Cast on 35 stitches with 6mm needles (16ply wool). 
Start with garter stitch (plain knitting) and knit about 4 rows. 
Then increase on every 5th stitch to give you 42 stitches. 
Introduce your second colour and just play around with patterns and colours.Once your piece is as long as the hottie, do a couple of plain rows, then knit 12,  then cast off 18 stitches (which means you have to knit up to stitch 14 and then pop stitch 13 over stitch 14 and so on until 18 stitches are cast off, and you should then have 12 stitch left to knit.)
On next row, knit 12, cast on 18 stitches using backwards loop method, and then knit remaining 12 stitches to end.
You can now knit some plain rows before starting your second fair isle panel, and end with the size garter stitch panel to finish.
Fold right sides together and sew up bottom and sides, then turn out through the neck opening.
Now for the "neck", cast on with double pointed needles or circular (for magic loop) around the opening. Preferably you will have an even number of stitches (36 works well).
Knit a double rib neck and  cast off !