Sara + h

and another

I'm on a gift making roll these days, which is good.  I'm hoping to sustain the trend for all the holiday making on the horizon.  Last year wasn't pretty and I'd like to avoid a repeat of all that frantic crafting, thankyouverymuch.

This gift though, has nothing to do with all that end of the year business.  It's for some young friends who are siblings.  It's meant for them to share in their culinary and craft pursuits.  I hope the fact that there's only one doesn't make me an outcast with their parents.  It's good for siblings to share, right?  Right?  Come on.  Back me up here.

Dan took one look at this and said, "It's got it all, doesn't it?"  He was wrong though.  There's no knitting involved.  There is however a little bit of applique, a little bit of freezer paper stencil, a few vintage buttons, and some sewing.  Certainly a lot even if it doesn't encompass everything I do.

I'm quite pleased with how this turned out.  Stenciling onto the denim I used didn't yield fabulous results (I think that had something to do with the texture of the fabric) and I was worried about it looking too busy.  In the end though, the stencil looks fine and though it's hardly minimalist, I don't think there's too much going on in the design.  The real test however, will be whether the recipients like it.  I'll have to wait until the end of the week to know that.

by way of explanation

for someone

Because sometimes when you plan to write about a thing you made - a gift, an apron that you yourself designed, a series of rectangles that came together beautifully and with no almost no swearing - you then forget to include a card in the box with the thing (a recurring problem with you) and your plan for what you're going to write about changes.

Because sometimes the anemone pattern on a piece of fabric that's been sitting in your closet for over a year will remind you of flowers which, in turn, will remind you of a person.

Because sometimes you'll notice something missing, something not there, a "need" even, while looking at a photograph that someone has taken.

Because unexpected gifts are delightful to receive.

Because they're delightful to give as well.

Because.

Just because.

mail :: installment no. 3

::from Ali::

from The Surprise by Sylvia Van Ommen

This online acknowledgment is long overdue.  Embarrassingly so.  I did send off an thank you email to Ali when I received her package months (yes, months) ago but still, a gesture so nice as hers deserves something more.

Ali read this post and she responded to my mention that I wasn't feeling the summer love by sending a boxful of things for my kids to do.  There were magazines and a "just use water" paint book (Remember those?   I hadn't seen one since childhood.  Fabulous eating-out-waiting-for-your-food-to-come kid entertainment.), there were books and music on CD and a puzzle game.  So much good stuff to while away the hours.

The best bit though was the book she tucked in the package for me.  Being wordless, it's story is told entirely with illustrations.  Beautiful, whimsical illustrations.  The one above is among my favorites.  While a cigarette smoking poodle spinning wool may not be politically correct (the cigarette smoking part), it is wonderful.  And since poodles are a French breed, the cigarette seems utterly appropriate, I think.

Your box was totally unexpected, Ali, and your understanding was greatly appreciated.  Thank you for both.

 

mail :: installment no. 2

:: from Erin ::

A few months ago, Erin contacted me asking for Lola's and Astrid's sizes saying she was up to something "very little" (ha!).  I forgot about that exchange (a good thing seeing as Sarah + anticipation = a sort of existential pain beneath the cool exterior...because I of course have a cool exterior...really, I'm  cool...I AM, dammit!) until more recently when she reminded me of it by saying there was only a short bit longer to wait.  I forgot about that exchange too until our mail lady handed me the package from Erin one morning recently when the girls and I were hanging out in the front yard.  Unlike Sally's package, with this one I simply started ripping.

Inside there was this for Lola

this for Astrid



and this for me.



A damn fine mail day, don't you think?

mail :: installment no. 1

:: from Sally ::

Sally's post today reminded me that though [most of] these photos have been up on Flickr since the day I received her wonderful package, I never properly posted them here.  I aim to remedy that right now.

I took these photographs as I opened the package.  Yes, that did take an impressive amount of restraint, but as anyone who has been lucky enough to receive a parcel from Sally will know, the packaging is part of the experience.  Not everything included is pictured here (like the candy I didn't share with my children...mine...all mine) but it should be enough to give you an idea just what that experience was like.  Lovely.

Thank you, Sally.

caps for a wee pilot

pattern:: pilot cap by Little Turtle Knits
yarn:: Premiere by Classic Elite

I knit these for a new babe named Elliot.  I'd only intended to knit him one cap but since I was using a different weight yarn than the pattern calls for and I didn't knit a gauge swatch (told you I wouldn't remember), I wound up knitting two.  The blue cap is for now.  The brown cap should fit him in the fall.

This was my first time knitting one of these pilot caps despite having purchased the pattern about two years ago, before I'd knit even a garter stitch scarf.  It's a simple pattern (anyone who's turned the heel of a sock could figure out something similar, I'm sure) but it's got a few ingenious details.

First is the rolled edge along the sides of the cap that are created by slipping the last three stitches of every row.  I'm sure the technique isn't revolutionary but  it's clever and I'd never encountered it before.  Second was the seamless i-cord that runs up one side, across the front, and down the other side of the cap.   The sides are achieved by slipping stitches as I described and the front by decreasing until there are three stitches on each needle and then knitting an applied i-cord.  Once you reach the three stitches on the left hand needle, you graft them together with the stitches on the right to create a seamless join.  Again, not complex but still quite clever.

Things I didn't like about the pattern?  The instructions have you M1 stitch in the middle of the set up row for the increases.  I did so when I knit the first hat but ultimately didn't like the way it looked.  For the second hat I simply cast on an extra stitch.  Also, there are mistakes in the instructions for the decreases.  Like I said though, I purchased the pattern two years ago.  I would imagine that the mistakes don't exist anymore.  At least, I would hope so especially given the fact that I checked the site and didn't find any errata.  Has anyone out there purchased this pattern more recently than two years ago?  I'd love to compare my version to a more recent one.

hats for the kims :: for finley & piper

I promised a bit of craft in my next post and true to my word, here's a bit of craft.  The last of the hats for the Kims, these are for [the extremely patient] Shannon's little girls, Finley & Piper.  After a bit of angst, I opted to do knit flowers again and to tie the hats together using the same button in different colors for the center of each flower.  There's nothing especially fancy about these hats but I like their simplicity and I hope Shannon and her little ones do too.

As I said, these are the last flapper hats that I'll be knitting to benefit the memorial fund set up in James Kim's name to benefit Kati and their girls.  This hat and this hat are still available for anyone interested in purchasing one (all but the shipping costs will be donated).  Otherwise, you're welcome to use my flapper hat pattern linked in the sidebar to knit one up yourself.  If you do, consider making a donation to one of the  funds yourself.  Their story isn't in the headlines any more but the effects of such a profound loss last far longer than any headline.

hats for the kims :: for gardenshoe/sara & her bean

This fourth hat is for gardenhoe/sara, one of my Flickr contacts, and her daughter "the bean."  It's knit from Artyarns Supermerino in color #115.  This yarn is lovely stuff.  It's got beautiful stitch definition and knits up into a really nice fabric.  And it's superwash, so easy to care for.

As with Iris' hat, I went with a knit embellishment (this time in the form of an i-cord flower) and I topped it off with a simple vintage wooden button.  This is probably the plainest of the flapper hats I've made and I like it because of it's simplicity.  The yarn is really what this hat is all about and that's as it should be, I think.

More pics here and here.

hats for the kims :: iris' hat

This hat is for Angelique's little one, Iris, and it is my favorite of the flapper hats I've knitted so far.  It's knit in Frog Tree Alpaca with a bit of Misti Alpaca thrown in as a contrasting color (a detail Angelique specifically requested).  For me, using the recommended needle size resulted in very uneven stitches which ordinarily would drive me to distraction, but here the effect works somehow.

The piece I'm most fond of is the knitted flower with it's vintage Czech glass button center.  I haven't knitted flower embellishments before mostly because they're a pain in the ass.  Not difficult.  Just a nuisance.  Lots of ends to weave in and some sewing thrown in too boot and just one of the reasons I'd like to learn to crochet.  Here, though, I think it was worth the effort.  So much so that I may have to buy more of this yarn to make another for my girl here.

Another shot of this beautiful girl, here.

 

hats for the kims :: hat no. 2

 

yarn :: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed, 40% silk/30% cotton/20% merino extra fine/10%viscose

yo-yo flower pin :: 100% linen in natural & grey with 100% wool felt backing and vintage wooden button

care :: hand wash cold, dry flat

sizing :: sized to fit children from approximately 2-5 years (this hat fits both Astrid and Lola well)

cost :: $25 + $2 shipping within the U.S. & Canada (international shipping will be slightly more)

payment :: Paypal only (I'm sorry but I cannot except credit cards)

to purchase:: email sarahnotsara[at]gmail[dot]com

With the exception of shipping costs, all proceeds from the sale of this hat will be donated to the James Kim Memorial Fund.