Category Archives: Books

Dare I??

You’ve got to love a man who for Valentine’s day gives his wife a book on knitting lingerie. Talk about knowing my true passions! While, “Naughty Needles: Sexy, Saucy Knits for the Bedroom and Beyond” was mostly gifted to give me a giggle, I’ve yet to hold a knitting book in my hands that didn’t in some way inspire me. It raises the question: is knitted lingerie taking a love of all things yarn too far? Possibly. But it’s a boundary that I may just be willing to test…

I think I would start out on the more innocent side. There is a pattern for knee high socks in there that is actually pretty cute. (Granted the pattern title of “kinderwhore” is a bit off putting…) I really love to wear skirts, but rarely do. The combination of living in a cold climate and a lifestyle that requires frequent trips out-of-doors makes it rather impractical. Perhaps this is the answer? I must say that I’m really smitten with the yummy alpaca/merino yarn that I used for hubby’s slippers. It’s so silky soft. I could see a pair of these in the above mentioned yarn being rather sensuous, while simultaneously being warm and practical. Not a bad combo…
While I don’t think I will be progressing to knitted pasties, a lacy mohair nightie wouldn’t be out of the question. I must say, I think I’ll be leaving the knitted bondage for someone else. After-all, there is a line, and for me anyway, knitting up, say a ball gag, crosses well over said line…

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Books, Yarn Crafts
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Basket full of kittens…

Valentine’s day coming right on the heels of my birthday is bound to spoil me as my table is again graced with roses. Have I mentioned that I love roses?? Have I mentioned that I love the husband who brings the roses??? The timing is very convenient, truth be told, as by this point in the winter I generally get very eager for a glimpse of anything green and growing. Freshly cut being as good as it gets here, it will have to do.

It was mutually agreed upon to stray from tradition this year as gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free french toast really didn’t sound appealing to anyone. Having found a reasonable gluten-free pancake, we decided to go that route instead (leftover squash and some potatoes for the bitty boy). We stuck with the traditional roasted potatoes and added in some bacon. I know that I really shouldn’t love bacon, but I can’t help it I do. I take comfort in telling myself that if it’s organic, it’s really not that bad, besides, it’s only every once in a while.

Steve surprised us with a pot of melted chocolate….really good, extra dark chocolate, and strawberries. I think the boys were a bit taken aback…chocolate?? Not carob??? Ah well, Valentine’s comes but once a year… Baby had his first strawberry (sans chocolate) and full of joy was he…

The boys made us a pile of pictures and I made them a basket of knitted kittens. I used the pattern from the book “The Children’s Year”. This is one of those books that I should not be allowed to look at. I can’t help but want to make every single project in there, from baby bonnets to bird feeders. With 112 projects listed in the index, I think it would keep me busy for an awfully long time. Steve gave me a crafty little book of a very different sort, which I will be sure to talk about elsewhere.

The kittens seem to be a success. I made them out of leftover organic wool from Full-belly farm and embroidered them with colored scraps of wool. Requests have already been made for puppies…


Elijah got so gooey that we were forced to change his shirt! Chocolate, chocolate everywhere…

Another sticky, but content boy.

Playing with kitties… The one claimed by Iain was named Constance after our more animated feline. Elijah’s is “Grey-white spotty” and Galen’s white kitty was dubbed “Snowflake”.

Sadly, I did not manage to complete Steve’s present in time. Though to my credit there has been a lot going on lately and I came pretty darn close. I was working on a pair of slippers….as luxurious as I could make them.

I used one of the Fiber Trends felted slipper patterns. I found a lovely, inexpensive, alpaca/merino blend to work with. I went with a heathered gray with black contrast as my beloved is a no frills, classic colors kind of guy. I added on suede soles (also in gray) to add traction, durability and at least a bit of extra protection when accidentally treading on lincoln logs. I even found a funky little local company to buy some extra think sheep skin insoles from.

My parents bought my a great pair of shearing slippers for Christmas. There is something very pleasant about slipping out of my shoes and into them as soon as I enter the house. It’s creates a whole different mind set. Like, ah, I’m home now…how comfortable…

As it turns out it’s probably a good thing that I didn’t manage to finish sewing on the other sole. They turned out a bit big for him and are going to require some extra felting to get a good fit. I will probably end up taking off the other sole as well. Sewing it was rather time consuming, but I really want them to fit well and be used and enjoyed. In guess it’s a good thing that he’s worth the extra work!

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Books, celebrations and festivals, Food, Kids, toy making, Yarn Crafts
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Baby Socks

These are the new socks that I knitted for Galen.

It’s the ‘two tone sock’ pattern from Debbie Bliss’s ‘Simple Baby: 20 Adorable Knits for Baby’s First Two Years”, which I happen to have out from the library right now.

I love this book! All of the patterns really are adorable. There are at least half a dozen things that I want to make from it. If I had a baby girl to knit for I think I would probably be trying to knit every pattern in the book! Alright that’s not entirely true. I really dislike the baby blanket with the pictures on it and I’m not entirely sold on the ‘pompon beret’. Otherwise all of the patterns are classic with simple graceful styling, just what I look for. There is an emphasis on soft yarns and comfort. All the babies look cozy not dressed up like clowns. Sometimes I look at some of the patterns out there and I wonder what the heck the designers were thinking?? I feel embarrassed for the babies that will be forced to wear some of those goofy looking things! Not the case with the knits in this book. I also love the pairing of hand knits with the vintage inspired fabrics through out the book.

I had to adjust the pattern to suit the yarn and needle sizes that I had available, but I’m pleased with how they turned out. I used color-grown organic cream and sage green cotton yarns. I strayed from that pattern a bit again in making them longer to cover more of baby’s legs. I’m currently working on the reverse pair now (green with white contrast) in a shorter version.

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Books, Yarn Crafts
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