Knitionary: April 2011

baby sweater and sampler

This sweet little baby sweater is a lovely and easy and free Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys. The look is updated using the self striping Zitron Unisono.

No baby in mind, just wishful thinking.

It's pictured on top of a sampler I stitched in 1973, the year I got married. It has my maiden name on it, so it must have been finished before June. I was 21.

It was a kit, a copy of an old American sampler. It's still so pretty. Stitching Americana was popular in the 70s. We were gearing up for our bicentennial celebration in 1976. Quilters and stitchers were feeling patriotic and sentimental and making beautiful crafts in honor of our first 200 years.

Did you read that part where I said I was 21 when I made this?

So now the cat's out of the bag. You know how I spent my wild and crazy youth, staying up till all hours of the night...stitching.

Things haven't changed all that much. At least the stitching till all hours of the night part. As in last night. The royal wedding. I know you did too. Wasn't it lovely?

April 29, 2011
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flowers and frogs

collections

The roses are popping and the frogs are ready.

I have this bucket o' frogs, mostly inherited from my great Aunt Cytha. Once upon a time, during my childhood, she was a sweet and dear rose grower and arranged flowers in ancient cut glass bowls.

My favorite flower frog is really a tulipiere of sorts. Tulipiere: Generally made of pottery, a tulipiere is an ornate flower-holder comprised of a larger vessel containing holes, spouts or troughs to hold single stems of flowers. The concept dates back to the Egyptians who created similar type vases, but is best remembered from 17^th century Holland.

I have a small collection of pottery tulipieres that I have collected over the years, but my favorite might be this humble glass one I bought about 30 years ago in Williamsburg, VA. I know I saw similar 25-bud pyramid type vases on the internet last night, but I couldn't find them again this morning to give you the link. I also found some 7-bud vases, they seem to be easier to find. I know they are out there. I'll keep looking and edit when I find them again.

The 25 individual vases are molded together and it's easy to make a beautiful arrangement.

First, fill each vase with water and pop into a beautiful bowl.

Next, pick 25 flowers.

Pop each one into a vase. It's done. So easy.

The little vases are now hidden under the mass of flowers. It makes me look like I can actually arrange flowers.

I have some tulipieres I like to use for herbs, some for pansies. I'll share more of them though out spring and summer.

Until next time, don't forget to stop and smell the roses and have a lovely day!

April 28, 2011
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Tiny Tea Leaves

family

Tiny Tea Leaves by Melissa LaBarre. The little girls version of the popular Tea Leaves.

First of all, let's admire my little model.

A natural beauty. Ten years old. My granddaughter.

Next we can admire this pattern.

Easy and fun to knit in DK weight, Louisa Harding Kashmir DK.

And swingy where a sweater should be swingy.

My new go-to pattern for little girls.

It's a perfect sweater for spring.

Beautiful, yes?

Oh my, I love everything about this. The pattern, the yarn and most especially the recipient. I will make this again, my little granddaughter loves it, even tho I found out too late that lilac is not a favorite color of hers. Oopsie. I offered to dye it black, but she said no, she is converting to be a lilac lover. And anyway, it matched the wisteria!

View the whole wisteria here.

April 25, 2011
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good thing

decorating

For many years we hosted an Easter brunch in our backyard. It was big and happy and full of generations celebrating together. The Easter egg hunt was an extravagant extravaganza. Every year it got bigger and bigger and bigger....and then one year we didn't have it. I don't really remember exactly why, but the weather was bad all month, I got sick and never got around to sending out invitations, it just never happened.

So that year we started a new Easter tradition: we didn't have the big party. We went to the club instead. (And it rained all day that Easter.)

I do miss that big, fun party in a way. But it was a ton of work and that part I don't miss, not a bit!

Because of those years of celebrating Easter in a big way I managed to collect lots of Easter decorations. Probably my favorite decoration is this cross stitch tablecloth. It was made by me in the 80's, most likely a Bucilla kit and took over a year for me to complete. It's so pretty with the bunnies and the spring flowers.

The kids will be here this weekend and I have the table set up for tonight's dinner. We are celebrating a one year sober birthday for one of the lovely members of my family. People, this is a big deal. A very big deal. I am bursting with pride and happiness for my lovely. We have cards and balloons, a favorite menu with a favorite dessert.

So this weekend, while I join Christians all over the world celebrating the miracle of Christ's resurrection, I will also be joining my family and celebrating our own miracle, sobriety, another sort of coming back to life. It's the little things that are the big things.

Sending you all LOVE!

April 23, 2011
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two wisteria

flowers

I have these two large wisteria vines in my back yard. They are magnificent. They are difficult for me to photograph together and I can't really show how beautiful they are. But they are beautiful and they are just in time for Easter.