Postcards from Brittany part II

I'm also happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

 It's been a while, I know. Busy times. It always strikes me as ironic that when I've got lots of work going on and much to share here, there's no time to post! But I do want to share the small  pieces I've been working on and will over these next weeks. 

But first, back in Brittany, I knitted up another gnome for school while we were roving around, stealing little moments here and there in between digging in the sand with smallie, and savouring a few small windows of quiet time when the lads went off on some adventure of their own.

One of my followers asked to see what these knitted gnomes look like when they're all knitted up, but before seaming and stuffing. Pretty funny, is the answer ; ) especially if you're using handspun wool! In as much as I can these days I'm trying to work from whatever scraps I can find left over from other projects.

And tucked into our awning on a rainy Breton day, the lads started carving. Smallie wanted to make a digging tool for the beach

We whizzed through all kinds of terrain on our bikes and one small boy showed me that alas, he is not so small anymore but big, and brave.
 I left all my deadlines and worries at home, relishing the absence of computers and mobile phones... we never knew what time it was and every now and then wondered what day it was.
I even got to draw : )

And I put the finishing touches to the gnome once we got home. Doing some leather work for him now, I want to make him a tool belt : ) or maybe a knife sheath..and want to explore what the children might be able to make for their gnomes from wool, wood and leather. I'm really having fun with this part. I keep thinking maybe they need a knitted fox friend too!

You can see the first post on our trip to France here.
And read about the first knitted gnome here.
Looking forward to catching up with what you've all been up to out there.
Thanking you for your visit x M

Yarn Along and a Giveaway!

I wondered when my smallie would be ready to knit... I was so looking forward to that but I just waited to see.

 He wanted to make a pair of  his own needles when he saw the children at school were making them with me in handwork, then we put them aside for a while. We also made tree branch buttons with a friend, they've just been sitting waiting to be used on something special.

Some weeks ago he told me he wanted to knit, and it seems to me that when kids are ready, they are really ready. He got right into the swing of it and decided he wanted to make himself a treasure bag for our upcoming trip. Nana knit some of the rows for him in the evenings when he stayed with her. He even loved the decreasing, despite moments of panic when he dropped a stitch or something else went awry!

 A little milestone, but one very dear to me : )

My own knitting this week has also put a smile on my face. Knitted gnomes are on the curriculum for one of my classes next September. I'd never made any kind of knitted doll so I wondered how it worked and whether it would be fun.

 It is! This is just a first go, more are coming to my mind's eye and I'm suddenly flooded with all kinds of ideas about telling gnome stories to the children and building a little world around these characters and the little things we could make for them.
Eyes are often stitched in thread, with fleece being used for hair, but I like the idea of doing everything in yarn, the children get a wide experience of all that you do with just yarn, how you can fashion and create a character using many different stitches. It also makes a really trusty toy then, hardy enough for play as well as storytelling.

Inspired again : ) and excited about bringing this project to the children and just watching where they take it.

I'm happily joining Ginny and the gang over Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.
To celebrate one year of my blog : ) and to thank all my readers and especially all you regulars whose lovely comments I've so appreciated over the months, I'm giving away one of my needle felted figures!
A Toadstool Elder, pictured below.
 Leave a comment and I'll randomly pick a winner by the end of this week and be in touch. (Comments are now closed) As always, thank you for your visit x M

Thank you for all your lovely comments : )
And the winner is...Svenna of Stitch and Purl!
"The gnome is beautiful, you are inspiring me again..
And well done, little guy - may you have many happy hours of knitting!

Happy anniversary, Mia! I always look forward to visiting your space and beautiful creations. I'm in love with your toadstool elder, honestly!"

Yarn Along

Deep sigh. I am writing on this, the first morning of the summer holidays : )

My students have all finished their handwork projects, beloved teachers have been hugged, flowers and cards have been given and received. Yesterday my small boy received his golden key and walked out the door of the kindergarten for the very last time. Bittersweet.

 Lots to take in.. and let go of. But mostly, lots to feel ever so grateful for.

And so I am happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along, and for a change I'm not dashing ; )

Having made all those handwork samples for school (phew!) I'm finally making something for us, for the home. A round cushion to brighten our couch, inspired by Lucy's pattern over at Attic 24. Only round cushion pads are not available in these parts, so I had to fashion one from a square. Which turned into quite a fluffy affair, being that I'd bought a feather-filled cushion and am a fledging in the use of a sewing machine. Suffice it to say to that I'm still coming across the odd feather floating around!

I just need to crochet both sides together now and I'll post next week. This was a project I promised myself I wouldn't buy ANY yarn for, but just work out of my scraps basket. Soooo, the colours have turned out a bit pretty, just a little bit too sweet somehow. I would go for more edgy colour combinations normally. But I think I can live with it and it will certainly bring some cheer into our living space.

Smallie finally got to bring home his 'Peter'. The rising class one children worked so lovingly on these felt puppets. One of their teachers proudly told me that the children used three different types of stitches in this project. Impressive and inspiring to me always, the teachers and the children.


 Hey, I just now realised that this month marks one year of my blog!
 I think that calls for a giveaway on next week's Yarn Along post, so stay tuned : )
Here is my very  first Yarn Along post a year ago. A beginner knitter very much aware of all I did not yet know, and working on the jumper you see my son wearing in the photo above. He has asked to wear it pretty much every day since I gave it to him. Makes my heart swell. 


Thank you for stopping by, as always x M

Yarn Along

Lovely to be joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

These are a couple more handwork samples I made, to come up with a truly simple bag pattern for my class one kids, comprising pretty much everything they've so diligently learnt in this first year...how to cast on, knit plain stitch, change colour, decrease, cast off and seam. That's a lot, right?

I always feel that making a simple little bag is a great project for children, it fulfils the beauty and purpose ideals, but also children of this age still love to gather, collect, bring, find and carry. Though I do feel that these bags should really be lined, being that coins and stones seem to be high on the 'cargo' list  for the lads ; ) We've run out of time this year but I'll make sure to work that part in to next year's lesson plans, great to develop their sewing and seaming skills too.

 I avoid projects that seem to go on forever for this age group, favouring instead smaller projects where children who need more time can make a smaller version if they like, and children who need less time can make a bigger/longer version. Getting the children to this stage is a lot of work and I have learnt sooo much in this new role, but when I look at and hold their work I am constantly impressed with their capabilities (a couple of finished ones below) And what a joy to see their pride and satisfaction when they finish and take their work home, I do feel honoured.

Loved seeing Ginny's daughter knitting away so carefully on her previous post : )
And how about you, what are you working on..? And if you have little ones in your life who knit/crochet, what do they like to make..? Love to hear.

Thanks so much for your visit x M

Yarn Along

Happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

A busy time at school, helping the children to finish their projects before year's end.

And I myself have a small boy playing through his last few weeks of kindergarten blissfully unaware of the big changes ahead, that of transition up to the main school, for class one next September. I feel both sad and excited at once.

 In fact, I will be his handwork teacher, hmmm....how that will go who can say! ; )

The children crochet cases for their wooden flutes in class two, many of them are finished now and they've moved on to making the hat I posted about here last week. Their flute bags are made to be worn around the neck during performances etc. I now wish we'd made them in wool rather than cotton, it stands up so much better to regular use and handling. So we'll line these with cotton fabric to strengthen them. (Thank you Gitta!) It's an ambitious enough project for them and once again I'm deeply impressed with their achievements.

So how about you, what yarn is passing through your hands these days, and is yet another school year drawing to a close in your part of the world...?

I so appreciate all of your visits and comments : ) Many thanks for the lovely feedback on last week's post, loved reading it. Looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things y'all are working on out there, always inspiring x M

Yarn Along

Happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

I'm home from my trip to England and trying to get back into the swing of things here, phew! 

I'll be sharing a little about that soon.

 Meanwhile.........a hat for class two to crochet! Curious time of the year for it I know, but it's the time when abilities and skills have built enough to work on such a pattern. Inspired by the hat pattern in Crochet for Children.  I made some modifications (always looking to simplify) and used chunky yarn with a size 5.5mm hook.

A wonderful pattern for beginners : )

A friend loaned me this beautiful book, a feast for the eyes indeed : )

I'm also hooking up a cover for a round cushion, to cosy up a certain caravan we're taking on the road this summer. Just when I thought my caravan days were over!

So what's in your work basket this week..?  Looking forward to checking out what you're up to out there.

Thank you for stopping by x M

Yarn Along

Happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

 I decided to do wrist warmers with my class two children and made up this simple pattern for them. I posted before about it here when I made a pair for my small son. (you should see them now all worn fuzzy, and sporting bits of moss! ; ) With the amount of time these children spend outside in all weathers, I love how these keep the draught out.

I had fun making up this sample pair, so quick and easy.

And while my son is quite in love with The Seven-year-old Wonder Book above,... I myself am quite enthralled with this beautiful book Essentially Irish at the moment.

                                                                         Thanks to Henneke for this photo
The children wear their wrist warmers with pride : ) 

Hey, I think I've finally gotten over my block about blocking ; ) Having been a slacker about it for ages now, I had a bit of a blocking party over the weekend with all my wool handwork samples for school (the cotton projects will have to wait 'til another day)and a few of my own bits too, including a pair of wrist warmers I've been wearing for well over a year now!


In a few days time I will be winging my way over to the South of England to visit a bigger Waldorf School there for a week, to observe and assist in the handwork department. I am excited : )

 Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your visits on last weeks post. I look forward to seeing what you're up to x M

Yarn Along

Happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along, having taken a little breather from my computer ; ) badly needed every now and then, no?

This was the first knitting project I did with class 1 when they'd just learned to knit.

Inspired by Linda's pattern over at the lovely Natural Suburbia.

The children were very proud indeed of their sewing books and could hardly wait to take them home to share : )

I finished reading The Horse Whisperer...such an engaging story.

Though I had a hard time with the ending, I found myself having grown very attached to the characters and their fate : )

I look forward to checking out all your knits and your reads. And for the Yarn Alongers who wanted to see the painted bellycast I've been busy finishing, you'll see it in my previous post. Thanks for all the lovely comments on that and for stopping by today x M

Yarn Along

We had a sweet Easter this year...hope you did too.
 I immersed myself in the spirit of it, colouring lots of eggs with the children, and getting in a bit of crochet. You'll find lots more about our onion skin-dyed eggs in my previous post here.

These crochet eggs were fun to make, this is a nice easy pattern. 
Boy, this nest was a workout for the fingers! in pure hemp cord. You'll find the pattern here.

Some of the small people I am auntie to seem to be growing more craft hungry as they get bigger, and I was amazed with all the finger crochet they asked to do. Lucky for us we found a bag of bright yarn stashed in the bottom of Nana's hot press : )

And spent one fine sunny evening out on the lawn turning this finger crocheted rope, as the bigger boys took turns skipping and jumping. 

Happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.
Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to checking out your easter makings x M