SouleMama

many, many hats

{Dr. Telemaque of the Caps Haitien project, introducing the Safe Birthing Kits. Photo courtesy of Konbit Sante.}

I've just posted two very special notes from Haiti on the Mama to Mama website. Do check them out when you have a chance - they are beautiful, as are all of the contributions that you all made to that project. It is in my heart and on my mind often.

I know many of you were and still are waiting for news on the next Mama to Mama project. I had every intention and hope of making it a four-project-a-year thing for 2009, but the truth is that the Cap project overwhelmed me in many ways. In beautiful, wonderful, amazing ways, but also in very practical and logistical ways. So I've been waiting for just the right time and space to start another one with the energy such a project both requires and deserves. I have great hopes that it will be soon - at the end of summer, perhaps. You'll be the first to know! (In the meantime, if you have some crafty energy you want to put to good use, please check out the links in the sidebar of Mama to Mama. Several crafty organizations are going strong with projects - check out Craft Hope among others!)

{Last fall - some of last year's NestMaine submissions, all of which found happy homes in Northern Maine.}

And also, close to home for me...NestMaine is once again open for submissions. Started by a dear friend of mine just last year, it's mission is to bring a little bit of handmade warmth to those in need in the cold winter months. There's the website, and also now a Ravelry group.

The hat above would be my first contribution for this year's project. It's the hurricane hat pattern, provided (for free!) by String in Motion. I adapted it slightly to fit a child (my knitting notes are on my Ravelry page). Using one leftover skein of Mission Falls 1824 from Harper's sweater, this was such a great, quick and easy hat pattern to work up.

I have a grand goal of making one hat for Nest each week until the deadline for submissions, September 1st. One little hat at a time. I think I can do it. I'll keep you posted!

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"Start making the world a better place slowly, even if it's just stitch by stitch. Each of your actions causes a ripple effect, just as each move of your hand around the needle causes a stitch - they create something that wasn't there before, sending creativity, hope, and light out into the world."
- Betsy Greer, from her wonderful book Knitting for Good

Is there some craftivism going on right now in your craft world, in your family? Tell us about it!

simple joys

a few simple things bringing me great joy this morning...

:: fresh flowers inside all the time now.

:: a pile of lotta remnants sitting in my studio waiting to be turned into...something.

:: only three more days until Jeff and Conor come to visit me. (What's that you say? There are 2,999 other people attending the concert? Oh!)

:: CSA distribution in full summer glory. Bring on the snap peas!

:: the sun. here and shining.

:: the fabulous way with which my children dress themselves.

:: a very good start to the canning season.

:: watching the toys I made eight years and four babies ago being played with once again.

:: my favorite sundress fitting (ah, a bonus joy of breastfeeding for me).

:: baseball and guitars, together. Always together.

:: sweet memories of this recent night on the ferry.

:: the way this boy calls "hammock time!" with glee at least a dozen times a day.

:: this place. Oh, this place brings me such great joy.

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Tell us - what simple thing is bringing you great joy right now?

a bit of a collaboration

{The pattern is Billie from Pipsqueaks by Kim Hargreaves. Knitting details on Ravelry.}

Sometimes...I think a project has to hibernate for a while before it can see the light of day as a finished whatever-it-may-be. In this case, apparently a three year long hibernation was needed. Yes, three years.

The tricky thing about these is that I didn't actually start them - or even knit most of them. I did choose the yarn, the sizes, the pattern and then handed them to my grandmother - the very one who taught me how to knit - who intended to make them as gifts for the boys.

Towards the end of the knitting - the very end - she got a little stuck. I think she was worried about the neck being too tight. Or the pattern was feeling funky to her. Neither of us can remember anymore precisely the reason for the handover.

But my goodness, if my own unfinished projects sometimes can vex me....the thought of another person's do even more so. So, sadly, they sat. Sitting, waiting and nagging at me once in a while until finally...finally...last week I pulled them out and puzzled out what was going on and where.

 

It wasn't as bad as I thought, figuring all of that out. Nana's knitting is impeccable, as I always remember it to have been - making my own look anything near as neat as hers was the only tricky part.

By the end, the sweaters fit two different children than who they were originally intended for. But, well, there's another little guy behind them (not to mention a slew of cousins)...and I think these sweet little vests - knit by their great-grandmother and mama together - are going to be worn by my littles for a very long time to come.

They were worth a little bit of a wait.

weekending

SouleMama Sponsor ~ BAYAN HIPPO ~

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Some words from Bayan Hippo:

"Bayan Hippo is run by Vildan Tura, a graphic designer who started up the brand  with the intention of creating fun and stylish bags and purses along with everyday chic, yet cute kimono dresses and jumpers for girls. Each item is carefully hand-made from only the finest eco-friendly fabrics.

(top photo) Cuddly Cows half-sleeve Kimono - No zipper! No button! Nothing to make your skin uncomfortable. The ribbon made from the same fabric goes from inside to out to be tied at the back for easy dressing. The colors are matching and made with rich quality fabric. 100% cotton, available in sizes 12month to 6T.

(bottom photo) Modular Messenger Bag in Aqua - Medium sized, super handy, messenger bag! Easily goes over your shoulder OR across your body for those days you need your hands free! Double snaps keep your stuff tucked safely inside! And two great sized pockets on the inside to keep your stuff organized."

The Giveaway today is for both of the goods described above - the kimono and the messenger bag. To enter, leave a comment in this post. I'll close comments and announce the two winners by 9am EST on Sunday.

Bayan Hippo is also offering a discount to SouleMama readers, valid through the end of this month. Enter "soulemama" at checkout to receive 10% of your order!

Good luck! And thank you, Bayan Hippo!

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Comments Closed! The winners are:

for the kimono:
oh, i love both!
fingers crossed!
nicola
Posted by : Nicola

for the bag:
What a talented artist. These two items are both adorable! It would be so fun to own them!
Posted by: Mary on Lake Pulaski

Congrats to the winners!
Thanks to all for playing, and thanks to Bayan Hippo!

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SouleMama Sponsor ~ SHIVAYA NATURALS ~

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Some words from Shivaya Naturals:

"Shivaya Naturals has had some huge changes recently, and we are getting ready to reopen a smaller online store that focuses on unique hand made goods. To celebrate the changes that we are making, we are giving away three of our custom hand made goods. A custom sewn and embroidered picnic blanket, three skeins of our naturally hand dyed yarn, and an trio of our organic body products. The Shivaya Naturals blog is written by Heather Fontenot, mama to two little ones, and owner of Shivaya Naturals Studios. Heather's blog focuses on the joys of raising creative children, while trying to live a conscious life. Her blog is full of projects and recipes, photographs and reflections, and many inspiring ideas for every family."

The Giveaway today is for three custom made gifts as described above - the picnic blanket, hand dyed yarn, and body products. To enter, leave a comment in this post. I'll close comments and announce the three winners by 9am EST on Saturday.

In the spirit of the changes at Shivaya Naturals, I'd love it if in your comments - if (and only if!) you are so inclined - you share something about "balance" in your life. What that means to you, or how you achieve it, or a goal you have in reaching more of it. However and whichever way you interpret it...it would be lovely to hear!

Good luck! And thank you, Heather!

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Comments closed! The three winners are:

for the picnic blanket:
That Embroidery is FANTASTIC! My balance is good food, good music & good friends. A triad!
Posted by : deerdeedle

for the hand dyed yarn:
My current balancing act is more internal than external. I am trying to find the new equilibrium between the things I would like to get done in the day and what my baby needs me to get done. It has been very difficult to make that adjustment - to let go of the adult to-do list and to not judge my day as inefficient or not productive if the to-do list sits idle. Babytime and baby needs operate in a completely different paradigm. My new balancing act includes both worlds, somehow!
Posted by : Mountain Girl

for the body products:
Balance? Working on it :)
Posted by : Lily

Congrats to the winners!
Thanks to everyone for your beautiful comments full of honesty and inspiration!
And thanks to Heather at Shivaya Naturals!

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the grampie sweater

Last night, I put those new buttons on Harper's new sweater. It's the Baby Sophisticate sweater (created by, and available for free on Stockinette). Knit all in one piece, from the top down. And with an aran weight yarn (this is Mission Falls 1824 wool), it was a super fast knit (I started it on the way to camp last week). I love this sweater - I know it's going to be a go-to last-minute baby gift sweater for me from now on. Oh, that sweet collar.

The second I saw the sweater 'done,' it reminded me of my grandfather, who always, always had a cardigan like this on. He was a farmer - a dairy farmer. And my grandmother went to great pains to keep that man clean, and to keep these sweaters out of the barn, out of the garden and off the tractor. It never worked - they always ended up with holes. She'd mend them, and at each and every holiday - there was a new cardigan for him. My children never got a chance to know Grampie before he passed away, but stories of him are tales they know and love to hear. Like the time he didn't have enough cash to pay his electricity bill. When they came to shut it off, he hauled one of his cows downtown and right on into the office. Told them he was paying his bill - stated her worth, and asked for change. He was a stubborn man, a smart and loving man, and a really good farmer. I loved the time I spent with him, and so wish I remembered more of the things he told me.

Isn't it funny how these things work? I had no idea when I started knitting this sweater what it would end up meaning to me - to us. But now, I am so, so very glad that Harper has a Grampie sweater of his own.

a button hunt

So it rained yesterday...thereby nixing our plans for a backyard sit-stay pool-knit vacation-at-home action. Instead, we turned the day into a treasure hunt - the search for The Perfect Buttons. ("Perhaps my favorite kind of treasure hunt, Mama!" Seriously, that girl.) When The Buttons weren't to be found in our very own pile above, we took our search out into the world.

And thus, with Adelaide and Harper, a perfectly lovely rainy afternoon hour was spent staring at the wondrous wall of buttons at Central Yarn Shop.

Oh, I love that wall. I've spent many an hour staring at those very shelves full of boxes of gold - nearly since I was Adelaide's age myself, visiting with my grandmother on a Perfect Button search of our own.

The decision making process is a slow one. A good, fun, slow one. Many must be looked at, lots should be touched. But it should never be hurried. I've even left before to 'try another day' when The Button didn't pop out at me. These things simply cannot be rushed, you know.

Yesterday, our treasure seeking came to a triumphant conclusion when we both found our Perfect Buttons. Ah...I love happy endings.

And now, onto the crafting!

extending it

Oh - the return home after being away. I don't think it matters how short the visit away is - the piles of laundry, the empty fridge, the dirt and dust and grass and weeds that somehow pile up can sometimes feel a little overwhelming to return to.

Yesterday, with the boys still in the woods, I found myself at home with "just" two babies (three if you count the puppy, which I do. Oh, I certainly do). I will admit that for a minute there was a temptation to clean like crazy, run to the grocery store, (and on and on), with the 'help' of fewer little ones. But thankfully, that ridiculous notion was knocked out of my head by a very fabulous three year old who stood at the door just as I was about to begin vacuuming, and jumped up and down - towel in hand - singing, "I want to swim! I want to swim! Harper wants to swim! Harper wants to swim! Nellie wants to swim! Mama wants to swim!"

I was reminded right then that our wee little vacation just wasn't long enough. So I extended it. Which means exactly this: I ditched the vacuum cleaner (it's still in the middle of the room), went outside, cut a patch of grass in the yard big enough for a kiddie pool and a blanket - and there we plopped. With books, yarn, the pool and SUN (so nice to see you!), we vacationed all day long.

It was so good, I'm thinking I just might continue that vacationing all the way through today. Which means three things (besides the mountain of laundry will grow, and that likely I'll trip over the vacuum three more times):

1. It looks like Adelaide just might get her wish to "turn into a mermaid!"

2. I just might have a finished knitting project to show you tomorrow.

3. We will most definitely be having popcorn for dinner.

Cheers to extended vacations!

at camp

Camp just isn't "camp" without...

joyful first-time dunks into the cold clear lake water,

a nature lesson from Grampie,

a puppy in paradise,

a bag full of yarn,

a collaboratively-built family puzzle,

a whole lot of melmac,

stopping to check the crop that will be ready next time we visit,

a bucket full of bug repellent...and the mosquitoes that laugh at them,

a whole lot of s'mores,

reading by flashlight,

marveling at a landscape just a little bit different than the one at home,

and finding a little bit of peace among the trees - and each other.