Brother Autumn

Brother Autumn has come to join us in the handwork room at school!

I posted last week about Lady Autumn.

I have so enjoyed crocheting the little shawls and baskets for these seasonal figures, and  it's been really therapeutic to breathe life into wool again.

I am really excited to see how these nature corners develop over the year, and how we can involve the children. I am already dreaming up my King Winter : )

I've just finished reading Kathryn Stockett's The Help, I grew very fond indeed of Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter and I was left imagining what became of them all...great story : )

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

It's tricky for me to post on Wednesdays now because that's a teaching day for me so I'll be linking up later than usual, hope you'll still find me ; )

 Speaking of teaching, I look forward to sharing some wonderful needle felted figures made over the weekend at the young people's workshop I gave at the Weekend in the Woods event. We felted through the wind and scattered showers and as always, so 

inspiring to see all the boundless creativity and effort.

'Til then, thanks so much for your visit x M

With Autumn in the air

It's been a while I know, I've missed writing and sharing here with ye!

Fiery orange leaves are appearing now, more every day... I have been watching and waiting. Probably my favourite season this one, I so love the symbolic nature of what's happening to the trees. The transformation, the new colours, the letting go and the laying bare. For there are big Life changes happening for me too these days. Challenging times, not easy but also full of promise, as change always is. 

There is much to do and take care of and I Thank God for the days when I wake up and feel like I'm able for it all, to work my way down through my 'to do' list with a vengeance, for not every day is a day like that ; )

We're up early these brisk mornings stirring porridge and making school lunches, and smallie is still very enamoured with his first real 

lunch box and totally enamoured with the story of Mr. Straight and Mr. Curved that they are hearing each day. I love listening to him in the car on the way home giving me the latest installment and telling me about that day's new colours they got for their crayon roll from one lovely new teacher. It is all so very exciting for him, fresh, new and sprinkled with glimpses of a whole new world opening up.

 The promise of being able to read enchants him. Exciting for me just to witness : ) I see how he was so ripe for the academic learning and is loving working in his main lesson book and 'busy bee book'. When I see that big ole schoolbag on his back as he wanders up the path towards me at pick-up time I see him so grown up, so capable and I know it's all perfect timing, life moving on exactly as it should.

And boy, we have been busy bees in the handwork room, getting everything set up for the term ahead and getting to know new students. I'm not quite past the feeling of overwhelm yet and look forward to feeling 'in the flow' of new curriculums and lessons.

I just felted this Lady Autumn for the seasonal table for Class One and crocheted a shawl for her, to keep the Autumn winds at bay : ) She is joined by a little acorn child. 

 Honestly, one of the things, if not the most heartfelt thing I grieved the loss of on leaving the kindergarten, was their daily forest walk, now reduced to weekly. A nature table in the classroom reflecting/celebrating the seasons, goes at least some way towards bringing it into their daily conciousness. 

It was good to set these up, then let them go, for already little drops of candle wax and a little settling of chalk dust have christened them ; )

I felt like she needed a brother so I'm just putting the finishing touches to Brother Autumn. He is bound for the seasonal table in the Handwork room, I'll share him with you next week.

Hope you and yours are settling back into good routines too. I'm happily joining with Ginny and the gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.
Thanking you for your visit xM

P.S. I will be teaching a Needle Felting workshop at CELT Weekend in the Woods in Bealkelly Woods in East Clare on this Sept. 29th-30th if any of you locals feel like joining us under the trees to form wool into figures! I am so looking forward to this : ) I posted about a workshop I took at this event here

One red polka dot dress

I'm in the mood for all things Retro these days...and small crochet projects that don't go on for ever!
I had fun making this cotton hanger, inspired by a pattern I found on Dottie angel's blog, lovely though I found the pattern confusing.
Now I want to make a colourful little collection of these for the few special things in my closet : )

And being that this is our last week of the summer holidays, let's talk dresses : ) I'd only ever made one before, a totally organic felted construction, you can see it here. But this one is my first humble foray into dressmaking.

I took a local class with the lovely Susanna Anker. And knowing I had a (big) mental block about learning how to use a sewing machine, I thought I'd better stick to a really simple pattern for a totally plain dress. And  use affordable, basic cotton fabric. The options available locally are very limited anyway!

 On account of being a little pear-shaped, the sizing was tricky. And despite the undeniable fact that said dress looked dire when I first tried it on (think shapeless grandmother's housecoat...at best) nothing could discourage me for I had sewed a dress!! And I had somehow, though crudely, managed the machine and with the tutor's help, followed the pattern.

And though I am not so clever about those things, I am able to make something not-so-great look much better. I love details and I love to transform things.

 Nothing that a little crocheted something here, and a length of ribbon there can't fix I thought. I also wanted to add a ruffle. So I got to work at home. 

I pulled in the waist with a new seam and added a couple of scraps of trim I had stashed.

I am going to wear this dress wherever, and whenever!

There is something truly special about wearing a homemade dress, some feeling of timelessness I guess.
 Just about special enough to throw all imperfections into the background, right? ; )

 Thanks to Ryan for these last few photos : )
Delighted to be joining Ginny and the lovely gang over at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.
Really appreciate all your kind feedback on last week's post and
thanks to you for reading today xM

Blooming flower cushion

Ah the good feeling of finishing something, right to the end. And something that brightens our nest : )

I learned a lot about colour making this, always so much more to learn about colour, it amazes me...even after so many years of painting. With yarn it's different again.

 This was a project made from the scraps basket. I started out very casually, just nonchalantly putting one colour beside another that it seemed to work with, and kept going that way till I looked at it at a day later and realised I just didn't like the overall feel of the colour combination. So I did a lot of ripping back til I understood how the colours needed to flow. Some of the yarns are wool, some cotton.

 It's my variation on Lucy's pattern over at the lovely Attic 24. I wrote about it in a  previous post here.

I took this with me in my work bag when I travelled to England a few months ago to observe for a week at a Steiner school there. It was a wonderful trip, I'll be writing about it here soon. 

As I sat in each classroom each day watching and listening, I made a few rows...also one day there on the beach. When I sat in my room each night trying to absorb all I'd taken in, I made a few more. When I got home and looked with a fresh eye, I ripped back some and added some more, been a bit of a journey this one!

 I mentioned previously that I had to fashion a round cushion from a square pad. If I get to crocheting more circular cushions, I would source the right cushion forms online, there's no doubt that it makes for a better finish. 

I'm already dreaming up the next cushion, an easy, cosy project to have on the go over the Winter months.

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

Hey, remember my knitted gnome from last week's yarn along post? Well I made him that leather bag I thought he needed, it was so fun to figure out how really do-able this is.

What do y'all think he would carry in there..?
Do tell!
And thank you for reading x

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

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.

I've been holding on to a lot our glass jars from the kitchen to re-use for storage in the studio and handwork room at school. Upcycling is an idea I love playing with these days. I couldn't find a pattern for a jar cover that I loved, so thought I'd try my hand at making it up as I went. Thinking it would be a great project for the children at school to store their crochet hooks and pencils and all. I don't know why this colour combination captivates me so, I love the retro feel of it.

I finished reading The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. I've mixed feelings about it... the idea of a contemporary story that has the act of knitting as its centre thrills me, and the belief that knitting can be a healing practise, I love all that. The story did have glimmers of honesty and authenticity but overall I found it very contrived. Definitely an easy read though.

What's in your work basket this week..? I look forward to browsing through. Thanks for stopping by : ) 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

Yarn Along

Happily joining Ginny and the gang over at Small things for this weeks Yarn Along.
I had fun working out this square, it's for a group project to mark a special occasion, a secret for now ; ) 
How to turn a circle into a square...another crochet mystery solved!
The pattern ended before my square was big enough so I had to improvise on the last few rows and make up the increases which I'd say are not perfect but I am learning, learning. 
I've become such a slacker when it comes to blocking.

But thinking how lovely it would be to make a small blanket or throw from these squares and what fun to be had playing with the colours... the best part : )




Still reading this Carol Shield's novel, and so far despite the wonderful cover art, I'm just not feeling it!


Thanks so much for visiting and for all your lovely comments on last week's post which I so appreciate. 
Look forward to seeing what you're working on x M