Far From the Tree

Although my dad was the Phys. Ed. teacher at our school, I just didn't take to sports. I had an overly developed sense of responsibility in team sports, always worrying that I'd be the one that screwed up. I was very self-conscious. I also had undiagnosed (till I was 10) exercise-induced asthma. Living in a small town, sports go by the season...in winter, there's hockey, curling, and skiing. In summer, there's softball, swimming, and soccer. For me, summer meant climbing up in a tree and reading endlessly.

Our local soccer program is just terrific. Herds of kids crowd the field in what we affectionately call "Daisy Pickers Soccer". There are enough balls for each kid to have one, and sometimes they participate in drills. Sometimes they climb on the goal posts or study the flora on the soccer pitch (hence the nickname).

This is our first year participating with our older kids, and to my surprise, I find myself wanting to go and watch every week. In addition to visiting with other parents, I have discovered the joy of watching this tempermental child of mine thriving in an athletic setting. She participates without complaint for the whole hour, and thanks her coaches when it's done.

Coach Mike warms the kids up.

We call her Spaghetti Legs (no, not to her face!), with a slight fear she might get them tangled up one day.

Listening to Coach Paul.

Her focus amazes me.

Coach Daddy (having spent his early childhood in England) gets into the fun.

Jude winds up for a mighty kick!

I love this little nerd so darn much!

It is at this point in parenting that I am coming to recognise my children as independent of me. Their relationship is their own, and I know that these are the days they'll remember; their summers will begin to blur together in what I hope will be a happy collage of swimming, camping, wrestling on the grass, sports that they love, and that ultimate gift of childhood: being carefree.

Violet pins Jude, who seems happy to be pinned. We know this isn't technically allowed in soccer.

Ah, the scent of new-mown grass.

These are the days.

Charmed, I'm Sure

What do you call an octopus wearing socks?

A Socktopus, of course!

I know. Words are not necessary to express the absolute charm and pure appeal of this little creation. Photos are quite enough. The rainbow knee sock! The pouffy leg warmer! The WORK SOCK! The tiny turned heels (using short rows), and the rustic stitched face. This little lady positively oozes charm!

To the right, see the pink over-the-knee stocking...you can't see the black seam up the back, or the sexy little bow at the heel...

The pattern is clearly written, but allows for creative expression. Ideas for the socks came as I knit (the pattern doesn't give specifics), so I'm already hatching plans for the next three I make (my children have been clamouring for their own Socktopi as they watched the birth of this one).

You can imagine the thoughts that go through one's head whilst knitting socks on an octopus:

this is a knee sock, but does an octopus HAVE knees? or a heel for that matter?...a real octopus would need super-elastic socks to keep them up on those rubbery legs...an octopus doesn't have to worry if the mate to a sock goes missing!...

And so on. Then I'd catch myself ruminating on the sock-habits of an OCTOPUS for heaven's sake, and smile as only a knitter can.

This little lady is a gift for a friend of Violet's. I can't wait to see her face as she first lays eyes on her very own Socktopus.

It's one of those things: you didn't know you needed one until you get one!

Dusty and Max

Here are two mama-made dudes who get into more pickles, wrestling matches, and adventures with my son than you'd ever imagine (unless your son also has a beloved doll). Dusty's long stringy arms are perfect for tying around chair rungs, banisters, and into other precarious positions. When he was brand new, he had a ten gallon hat, a white shirt, a bandanna, and a holster. He's lost all but his favourite jeans in his gallivants.

As Jude heads up the stairs to bed, he invariably says, "Wait, I forgot Dusty"...he runs back down the stairs, and searches in Dusty's usual haunts: under the coffee table, under the kitchen table, under the piano.

Max is a somewhat more subdued fella. He's a sidekick of sorts. He's like Robin to Batman, like Bert to Ernie, like Jack Lemon to Walther Matthau. He is the voice of reason when Dusty wants to try something dangerous.

A conversation with Jude as I tucked him into bed last night:
Jude: Mom, Dusty and Max are circus performers! (Max and Dusty perform crossover backflips)
Me: That's amazing! But it's time for them to go to sleep now, or they'll have to come downstairs with me.
Jude: But, mom. They're not tired. They've been sleeping all day!

I kiss my two girls goodnight, then bestow a kiss upon my three boys: Jude, Dusty, and Max settle in for a well-earned rest. Sweet dreams, boys.

GratiTuesday

I know that by the time most of you read this, it will be Wednesday. But I'm writing it on Tuesday, and GratiWednesday just doesn't have the same ring to it.

So often I notice things for which I'm grateful. "They" say it's a good practice to write down a gratitude list every evening, just to count your blessings and to shed a light on how sweet life is. I'm never great at the regimentation of doing the same thing EVERY night, so I'm going to start with Tuesdays. Just because GratiTuesday is such a fun thing to say.
Here's my random, off-the-top-of-my-head list:

::finding eight eggs in the henhouse BEFORE they froze.
::another two inches on my socks!!
::kids in the early morning:

::the ornithologically comical loveliness of wild turkeys!
::pretending we're underwater or in outer space while driving in the van
::Jude's drawings of aliens shooting lasers out of their eyes
::the smell of my niece's neck when I kissed her there today
::my new journal and the sequel I've been waiting for...

::Jude's freckles (this somehow always makes my list)
::a little pile of kindling and bunched newspaper, left by my husband to ease starting the fire
::the hats worn by all the ladies in a 1950s photo of my Grandma at a Catholic Women's League convention!
::finding my bellydance groove again after all these years
::rosey cheeks + runny noses = kids who've been playing in the snow
::a naked toddler after her bath, all damp skin and wet curls
::giggling aloud in the bookstore at this:

Might have to add this to my birthday wish list!

::being able to catch up on some bills with an unexpected gift of cash

::planning what to bring on my upcoming retreat: a weekend of women being artistic together!

::my husband taking over the bedtime routine so I can blog/write/rest/read/knit

::Violet wearing my coin belt and shimmying around the house

::these incredibly whimsical socks from Vogue Knitting, Winter 2010/2011, designed by Lisa Whiting:

There. I'm overheating from the woodstove right now so I'll stop there. In your comment, give me 3 things you're grateful for today. Next week I'll try to get a linky Widgety thingy up so you can share your links! Maybe we can get this GratiTuesday list going on a weekly basis!

Post-Noel

On Christmas Eve, I lovingly placed these two little women on a rocking chair for my own little women to find the next morning.

In spite of my promise to myself to go to bed early, I decided at the last minute that their sweet little bunkbed needed mattresses and pillows, so out came the flannel and batting...

Margot was delighted to find a new baby to care for.

And both girls were delighted to find that the cats LOVE to nap in the bunk bed!

One thing I wasn't able to create by hand was the red Transformer Jude was dreaming of. Luckily, Santa helped out with that one! The Big Guy didn't come through on the pogo stick Jude requested at 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve; he did, however, write a note to Jude suggesting that he ask for one for his birthday, since pogo sticks are more a summer toy anyway. This seemed to satisfy my little man!

I plan to do one more post on Christmas; then we'll be looking forward to getting through the rest of the winter! I'm in a bit of a creative slump; all that purposeful hand-making before Christmas wore me out! I don't know what to do next...

Of course, I did start a new blog...because I'm not busy enough as it is! You can read my first post at Control Freak, where I examine and plan to challenge the unhealthy patterns I've created in my life. Please sign on as a follower and leave a comment to let me know you were there!

Handmade Holidays: Down to the Wire!

Inspired by Amanda's Solstice pyjamas, my friend Maureen and I created these Christmas pjs over two craft sessions. On the first night, we sewed the pants (perhaps a tutorial in the New Year?); the stitch ripper got some exercise, but Maureen diligently learned to put in the waistband elastic!

Our second session involved creating matching tops, using plain shirts and fabric paint. I realised after painting the apple on the white shirt below that the seeds are NOT that close to the skin, but I doubt Violet will notice! I'm really pleased with the way Jude's dinosaur turned out!

These slippers were inspired by this post! I'd been hanging on to this whimsical felted wool sweater, unwilling to cut it up until I found the perfect project...turns out this was it! It honestly took about 30 minutes to make this one slipper! I can't give them away, so they're my handmade gift to ME! I just love them: the fit, the colours, the little crocheted cuff...they're just so sweet! They'll definitely be on my New Year's "to make before December 2011" list!

Another lovely idea that is QUICK involves turning vintage women's watches into photo-bracelets. I saw this in a magazine years ago and would give credit if I had the slightest notion what it was. But I don't. The picture of my hubby (on the right) was taken in the first week we met, and the baby niece in the other photo is now twelve, so that should give an idea of how long ago I made these!

10 years ago you could find these old watches relatively cheaply at thrift stores and yard sales. Just remove the back plate, trace it onto a photo, place the photo in and replace the back. Voila! These look so lovely and charming when worn together in a group. The patina and unique details of these vintage pieces of jewellery rival any "fake vintage" stuff out there. Ask your mom or grandma if they have old watches kicking around...

And last, possibly most insanely, but definitely not least:

Quite belatedly, I decided to try my hand at some Waldorf-style dolls for my girls. We're cleaning up some old thrifted furniture (doll bunk beds, cradle, and rocking chair), and I've sewn some doll-sized quilts. Naturally, the only thing missing is a pair of dolls! We have your usual garden-variety craptastic dolls, given to us and picked up at yard sales over the years. None of them is a favourite with my girls, but somehow they continue to multiply. I've decided to get rid of them all! They have no charm, no spirit, no personality!

Using a tutorial I found here, combined with previous doll-making experience, I sat down last night to craft the heads. I'm really quite happy with how they turned out; they look friendly without simpering, sweet without being saccharine. Of course, those little quiffs on top of their heads make them look like Casper the Ghost (as my ever-observant hubby pointed out)...so now the challenge is creating hair. I acquired some beautiful mohair from a friend down the road and crocheted this wig base:

This is the second attempt and my (ever-helpful) hubby said "Achtung!" to both (because he thinks these so-called wigs look like WWII German helmets). Sigh. I'm out of this colour so can't loop longer pieces through this so-called base. Time's a-ticking...but for now, this elf is off to bed. I'll do a whole post about these little dollies if/when they come to fruition. This is looking like a last Handmade Holiday post, for this year anyway.

Thanks to Tonya at Plain and Joyful Living for inspiring and hosting this wonderful blog-share!

The Moodie Flip Doll: A Tutorial (Kinda)

My sweet niece turned 7 today! She is unique in many ways, and therefore it is often a challenge to find a gift for her. I just couldn't settle on anything, either store-bought or handmade, until this morning...4 hours before we hit the road for her birthday party!

Meredith's nickname is "Moodie"; I'm not sure where it originated, but it's what we all call her. When I woke up, it came to me that I had to create a Moodie Doll for her.

I started out with a pattern for Emily Martin's Black Apple Doll, times two, and minus the legs (complex mathematics)! I freehanded the faces, one happy and one sad. For the eyes, I used satin stitch, then small back-stitches around the iris.

Close-up of satin stitch (basically, filling in an area with long stitches)

Tiny backstitches  define the filled-in area and tidy up the edges.

The completed faces, with hair laid on!

I used backstitch for the eyebrows, lips, and around the eyes as well. Follow Emily's instructions for sewing the hair onto the face, then the head, arms and bodies. At this point, I had two Black Apple Dolls with no legs.

She is very sad, wondering where her legs went.

For the skirt, I cut a length of fabric about three times the width of the doll's body, and long enough to cover the doll from head to waist. Choose a print that doesn't have a "wrong" side. I ironed up a hem, and sewed some rickrack onto the turned-up side to cover the hem.

I sewed a seam to connect the two short ends of this rectangle, creating a tube. I did my own version of a French seam along this side seam to make it look finished on both sides. I then added a loose gathering stitch along the top of the skirt, and gathered it until it fit onto the doll's waist.

I sewed this onto the "happy" doll, the way you would a skirt to a top (right sides together). This is how it looked at this point, with the doll's body stuffed:

I then took the "sad" doll, and ironed a hem up into her waist. I stuffed this half of the doll, flipped the other half upside down, and hand-stitched the sad half onto the happy half. This covered the rough edge where the skirt joined the upper half.

Please be reminded that I called this a "Tutorial (Kinda)"...I was making this up as I went along, with a clingy child leaning on my arm as I worked. Email me if you seriously want to attempt to follow my half-assed instructions and still have questions (I can't imagine how you would...!)...I call this kind of rudderless creating "organic"...it evolves as I work, and I just trust that as problems arise, I'll deal with them. I do like the fail-proofness of following a formula, recipe, or pattern. But honestly, this project gave me so much satisfaction, to bring a seed of a plan into fruition! What have you got to lose, besides time and a bit of fabric?

 

Here is what she looks like in mid-flip.

I made the sad doll's torso a bit too long. I also sewed her hands together in front (as if clasped in shame!) because they were causing the skirt to stick out too much when flipped.

Curiosity got the better of Miss Violet and she had to check out what was going on under that skirt!

While I did learn to sew from patterns, "winging it" is much more my style. I love how this doll turned out, and love how her name is so fitting for our sweet Moodie. She fit perfectly inside one of those skinny wine-bottle gift bags which made me giggle. Let me know what you think, and if I ever make another I'll take more pictures to give clearer instructions! For now, just go for it...winging it just might bring a little thrill to your life.