JC handmade

may days ~ 2

pure and simple

working on a few cotton coverups for my littles - i ordered this pattern from the girls at kpixie, where i was also able to get the yummiest yarn.  after a week, the first is almost done - sans hood and absolutely no fringe... 3-year-olds + fringe = a big mess, no thank you.  turning out supercute - can't wait to try the next color trio.  xoxo

belated knitted gifts

it was my intention to knit my husband a hat before the holidays.  i bought two skeins of delicious blue sky alpacas worsted and even imagined us cozy all winter wearing our two knew handknit non-matching hats .  honestly, that was my intention.  by winter.  but somehow it got away from me.

indeed, i finished the first hat by december, but it was not quite what i had in mind.  not for us anyway, seeing as neither of us is enriqué iglesias.  thankfully, however, the ladies love wearing hats and happily adopted this one as their own.

no bother; i still had some time to get that black one done with a modified (as in "on the fly") version of the pattern for a tighter fit and more my guy kind of look.  that was my intention, anyway.  that skein sat there on the sidelines during the season that is baking, making, shopping, wrapping, family visits, double birthdays, holidays + subsequent holiday recovery, and then some.

after a reassessment, i decided his hat from last year would serve him well enough until valentine's day and so i cast on in early february planning a handknit hat from cupid.  well, that was my intention.  and yet somehow, even that got away from me.

and the funny thing is, when i did finally finish up the hat a couple of weeks ago, i just knew it wasn't going to work.  not unless my husband becomes an adult contemporary piano playing ballad crooner.  and in that case, i think the hat would be the least of our worries.  so yeah, the girls like their hats.  and there was even a bit left over for to knit baby a scarf.  it's as if that was my intention all along.

yeah, sounds good to me.  xoxo

motivational knitting

it was less than a week ago that i picked up my half-done clapotis after over a year's rest.  so here's where we are at the moment ::

let it be known, i'm far from being a lightening-fast knitter or having oodles of time on my hands - it's just a supersimple repeat put to memory combined with some free time thanks to sunshine + sidewalk chalk, and a good movie on saturday night.  she had a little soak on sunday before the girls helped me set her out to block - they are really into pins these days.

a gorgeous sunny day in the 50's-60's means a quick dry for my new favorite knit.  yum.  i love so many things about clapotis, it's sublime.  preaching to the choir, i know - you've all already been there done that.  and if you haven't, jump in because it is perfection.

and now that she's finished, i can open the box of kpixie goodies that arrived last week.  (ahem.)  coming up are Springtime cotton coverups for the girls.  oh, and then an orangina for me.  a black one.  another winner you've all made before and raved about, i know.  you see?  i really do listen to you guys.  xoxo

table for four

playing together - as opposed to parallel play - has become more and more frequent around these parts in the past 6 months.  sure, we have our moments of frustration due to who possesses what at any particular moment.  so it is especially heartwarming to see my kiddos embrace the concept of sharing more and more.  sharing objects, sharing space, and sharing time.

take tuesday, for example.  nestled between a busy morning out of too many errands and our late afternoon library session, the girls enjoyed a leisurely lunch with a few special friends ~ a superhero and a rockstar, to be precise.

there was conversation of spaceships and wiggly squiggly garden creatures, and i believe i heard something about a dance party, as well.  they are really into the apples in stereo these days, so dancing ensued once we turned up "the ste-re-o-oh".  good times.

mama enjoyed taking it all in from the sidelines, unearthing the silky wool clapotis that has been at rest for over a year.  much to my disbelief and delight, the pattern picked up its quick pace right away and i actually completed an entire repeat, which is far more than has been knit on this piece in too too long.  it's a lovely pattern and a most seductive yarn, which both have me excited about finishing up so i can enjoy a daily embrace of its lofty warmth.

alas, clapotis was not completed before heading out for storytime and a subsequent half hour of hopscotch in the drive.  but the peaceful rhythm of knitting - even if for just a bit - allowed me to take in the magic of my girls playing peacefully.  together.  xoxo

a funny thing happened on the way to ravelry :: part 2

so where were we?  spring cleaning, right.  well, when i finally reached what i thought was the bottom of one of the yarn piles, i found something interesting.  quite interesting indeed.

protected from the elements and nestled neatly underneath two bundles of BSA cotton *yum* (which i apparently have earmarked for something), hibernating there i found not one, but two completed knitted pieces and their corresponding indecipherable patterns.  it seems a year ago (!) i worked on these little numbers with the dream of publishing the patterns.  how'd that work out for you, jennifer?  um, yeah.

no bother.  there is a bright side.  they still fit!  do you know what that means?  do you?  it means my pattern - my concept - WORKED!  my idea was to make a summer dress for a toddler that would transition to a top for a preschooler.  with the proper fit for both ages.

that something i made a year ago, subsequently forgot about, and accidentally stumbled upon in a mad decluttering frenzy... that something i was working on a year ago could excite me now... well, maybe it's time to refine this one after all.  i do so love that organic cotton.  maybe just maybe i'll work on it a bit.  i think we have time - it's snowing again.

wishing you and yours a delightful weekend!  xoxo

a funny thing happened on the way to ravelry :: part 1

i've been putting off cleaning up my little office space (a.k.a. the small room with a filing cabinet - ostensibly for bills - piles of said bills waiting to be filed, and waaaay too much other crap that could probably be thrown away) for too long.  so when it came time to put together all the tax stuff for the accountant, and i found myself sitting on the floor rummaging through piles of statements at 11pm one night, i decided it was time to clean up.  and the first thing i unearthed was my yarn stash.  yum.

and then yesterday, i came across amy singer's column in the spring IK about spring cleaning le stash - she must have been reading my mind.  (and how cool is that?  amy singer?  reading my mind?  way cool.)  and so it all went on our dining room table, sorted thusly ::

• KEEP - seen above in all their glory (to be inventoried on ravelry, love that!)
• GIVE - in a big bag for our Easter Seals pickup tomorrow
• SHARE - organized neatly for whoever wants it  :-)

and you're invited!

* YARN SALE *

tomorrow :: thursday 27-march-08

13 yarns/bundles.  really nice stuff.  i love them all, but it's time to set them free.  they need to do more than sit in my stash.  so if you're into it, come on by.  there will be more info right here when it's all set to go, so stop back around lunchtime and look for a special link to the festivities.

oh, those two handspuns?  you like them.  me too.  and they will be free.  why?  because i really love misshawklet yarns and want to share a bit of her one-of-a-kind amazingness.  come back tomorrow for all the details.  xoxo

my 12-hour scarf

just popping in for a quick moment to share some knitting love.

super simple ::

• size 15 needles
• CO 18 st
• work a 1x1 rib
• BO when it's almost all gone

seriously, we've all made a million of these ~ yet, somehow when you make a scarf with such beautifully handdyed and lovingly handspun wool, it becomes so so much more.  and knowing the thought and care holly puts into her yarns gives each knit piece a life-story of its own.

this was honestly knit during a 12-hour span ~ that's including 10+ hours of non-knitting time in there with the kiddos.  i cast on at 10:45am (the start of the girls' gym class), knit for an hour while they tumbled and twirled, then put the needles down as we went about our day.  and yes, one of the girls pulled both needles out of my bag at the gym to show her teacher how well she can play the drums.  that's my girl.

all 18 stitches were miraculously saved and i started knitting again later that night during project runway and bound off at 10:45pm, wrapping it around my neck as i awaited heidi's final "auf wiedersehen".

love it.  i get lost in the little streaks and strands of color in every stitch.  i really do think everybody needs a little misshawklet in their life. really.

be back sometime soon.  xoxo

loose ends

what a pleasure to work my way through a lot of not-quite-finished projects this weekend.  first of all, i finally completed the reversible twist scarf for a friend (Christmas gift... shame on me, i know). 

and then whipped out a bonus tudora for her - yes, an extra handknit neckwarmer does indeed relieve a bit of late-gift-giving-guilt.  just a bit.

and i finally sewed the buttons on the first of the girls' quicko cardis - just need to weave in the rest of the "spaghetti" as they call it.

and now that everyone is tucked in for the night, i can nurse this sinus situation with a steaming cup of peppermint tea and begin sewing on the bindings.  the many many bindings.  yippee!

thanks to all who took the time to leave the most wonderful comments on my last post.  as i was writing and reflecting on the now of it all and how fortunate i am to not be alone, i never ever imagined the warm embrace you would offer.  it means more than you can know and i truly appreciate each and every word, memory, and moment you shared.  xoxo

the blitz

that's a way better name for this sweater than "ribbed pullover" as the title reads in the rebecca baby + kids (no. 8).  it is by far the fastest kiddo sweater ever, and ever so perfect for a very speedy and amazing little man - i cast on last friday and despite a little yardage hurdle, it was all seamed up and washed/dried six days later.

now that may not be fast in your book, but it's pretty impressive for this mama, especially when you factor in the elements of kiddos + new years + kiddos + work + kiddos + life in general.  and i must say, there is some allure to this machine washable/dryable thing when it comes to children's garments.  when i first made this sweater for the girls, i used the ggh aspen called for in the pattern and i love being able to toss it in the machine.  (for the most part, i prefer to stick to natural fibers.)  but, if you are making something as a gift - particularly to a non-knitter -  i highly recommend considering a blend, such as the plymouth encore i used in this sweater.  the only way it will shrink will be by him growing out of it.

for now, i'm back to wool and cotton - namely, finishing up the 2nd quicko for the girls and working on that travel/nap quilt, also for little man.  other than finishing up a few last minute gifts on Christmas Eve, i haven't been in my studio/workspace since mid-december... oh how happy am i to be back, even if it is in the wee small hours of the night.

btw :: i am so loving this ravelry thing - can't believe i let the invitation sit in my inbox for 5 months - it's such an inspiring creative space.  my projects (jchandmade) are pretty sparse right now, but i anticipate more over the coming chilly-knitting-weather-months.  please let me know if you're on there so i can check out yours!

have a lovely weekend, friends!  xoxo