Folk bag!!

Finally I have finished my darling nine year old girl's birthday bag! Using 16 ply pure wool, which the children in Class 5 use for their crochet projects, I started with a circle, then kinda curled it up to make a great big bag! Add a flap, some lined straps (so they don't stretch to billy-o), a flower to cover up the messy crochet improvising and some light denim lining with a zippered gingham , and you have a FABULOUS FOLK BAG!! Ready for school! ravelled here
Hooray!

more more more

another fair...
more more more craft...

 

 

 

Class 5 Indian Elephants

 

 

 

 

 

Fair Isle Knitting Class 4

and inspirational teaching...

Class 5 Chariot Races coming!!

Class 3 Buildings and Dwellings

Class 6 "etchings"

and last week visited this school's Arts Festival and saw these!! Delicious!

Sadly, a Steiner  Stream in the Western Suburbs of  Melbourne is under threat: check out the action to save the stream here.

Fair is fair!!

On the weekend we drove up to a wonderful Steiner school in a glorious rural setting to treat our lungs to the fresh mountain air, and be inspired by the remarkable work being done there.

Class 6 craft: Those dollies will feel a whole lot better when their hair grows.

Class 5 Woodwork

Class 5 Indian felt elephants

Class 5: Grecian Urns

Class 2 Blackboard Dawing

Class 2: Celtic Dragon!!

Class 2: dolls made by children

The blanket above was stiched by the children and teachers, using the marvelous and voluminous finger-knitting produced by the children in Prep to produce a wonderful comfort rug for the little resting spot in the classroom. This rug will no doubt travel with the class to Class 8!

Class 3: Socks knitted by the children

wip

Vitamin D in Madelinetosh Pashmina (Cloak)

Felt Elephant for Steiner Craft Curriculum Course, Class 5.

 

Lots of 16 ply wool, for more more more crocheted bags so our family can go out together all bearing out crocheted bags!!!! I think I'm addicted!

And a lovely link to Camilla Engman's post about a fantastic knitting related book!!

Norse Myths in Stitches

In Class 4, the children in Steiner schools are immersed in the tales from Norse mythology. God and Giant, ice and snow, golden apples and the deceiving Loki's trickery being the undoing of all! Such contrasts and colour for a child venturing into the world with curiosity and a thirst for challenge and adventure!
In the Craft (Handwork) curriculum, the children make a colourful tapestry, having first drawn a picture inspired by a story from the Norse Myths (check out this book for a great retelling), and then launching freestyle into a the huge array of colours to create their picture.

My tapestry began two years ago at Steiner Teacher Training, and I started using very small stitches to create a picture of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. When I picked up my unfinished tapestry again a few weeks ago, I aimed to do stitching more like what the children would be doing, so went for bigger expressive strokes. The piece ended up quite irregular in shape, which must be one reason why the framing for these is often done using two pieces of (perhaps?) plywood, with the front framing piece carved in an organic shape with curved edges.

{this moment}

 

 {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

inspired by SouleMama 

on the needles

In Class 5 in the Steiner/Waldorf school the children learn to crochet. I haven't crocheted since I was nine! There is something strangely addictive about the quickly growing piece. My Class 5 girl noted that crochet sparked an unprecedented fervent passion for Craft among the boys in her class! With 16 ply (bulky) wool, it doesn't take terribly long to see result and the freedom to shape and add things onto your work at whim must be exciting for the children.
I'm making a school backpack for my chicken number 2, who desperately wanted one after seeing her sister's creation.

 

 

Ravelled here

On the knitting needles I have Vitamin D, by Heidi Kirrmaier, using the splendid and lushy Madelinetosh Pashmina in the Cloak colourway, which is a dark graphite/black with oh so subtle lilac wash through it. I am so loving this fun pattern, yet can't wait to get it off the needles and onto my back!!