From the archives, March 2011
We have been so busy that I haven’t had time to post about our handwork. Everyone seems to be working like little worker bees, but we just have a few things finished… next week I bet we have more as we start sewing!
I finished this tiny hat… the first one just kept looking gigantic and I wanted something she could wear on day one. I have to say I am not a big fan of size 1 needles and fingering weight yarn – at least not in this project, I finished it quickly like the other hat but it was much more frustrating! lol.
These both came from a simple (looks hard, it isn’t) pilot cap pattern. The best discovery of the week though was this sweet orange/pink variegated yarn for Super Sam. I have been trying to decide what gift to put together for him as the baby comes. She’ll have so much attention focused on her and I want him to still remember he’s my sweet boy.
We are knitting a monster! We just love Rebecca Danger’s yarn monsters. You can find her HERE. Sammy would like Sammie the Sock Monster so of course that is what we are making!
I often get objections of “I just don’t have time for handwork!” Sure you do! We are super busy people. Our family is growing to five children, I plan three lessons a day, spend time with my Sammy and run our business… we are full on, full time… BUSY people. While I have Erik here to help, he is often doing his end of our business and hours will go by with him tucked in his office. I find little nuggets of time to knit and plan out afternoons for sewing. It can be done. Aside from Steiner’s indications of handwork being appropriate for developing children, I feel like it really enriches our home, it brings us together. We don’t fight about handwork, the children see me creating and they have the impulse to create along side me, I have set the tone. The big boys don’t work on projects as much as they used to, but they still contribute. They are working on a tiny snuggle blanket for their new baby sister. Getting the whole family involved in projects and working together is so rewarding and is a wonderful way to bring you all to one spot… a hard thing with teen age kids that have their own schedules. I love our handwork time, it is a priority for us. It slows us down and helps us be present, communicate and appreciate the art of creating.
Blessings to you!!