good sunday morning! let's start the day with a little animation, shall we?

Animated gif maker

oh, how this girl loves the dirt. just like her mama - i think i'll have a great gardening buddy this summer.

and its done.
and i couldn't be happier.
and i can't wait to make more.



can you imagine an entire gallery filled with these little quilts?
i can, and it would be beautiful.

stitching and stitching and stitching today.

sometimes with a baby on my lap, calmly watching what it is that i am doing.
sometimes i hunch my shoulders a little more than i should.
(must remember all of my yoga - deep breathing, too)
more often than not, my hands get achey and crampy from holding onto my work too tight.
the pad on my right index finger burns a little.

i'm still a little undecided on what this actually is. it could be a mug rug (i might not be a huge fan of the title, but i love this project) or it could be a mini quilt. but maybe before those things it will be a snack mat for frankie, along with some napkins and maybe a smaller mat for mama.

now to bind.
and then show off.

today will be spent:
washing woolies
gathering fabric scraps for a snack mat and napkins
admiring frankie's favorite boots.

and we will have a boat ride!
to that island we will soon call home.

big moves

for the last 25 years, my little life has been spent in the same twenty mile radius of maine/new hampshire. i couldn't be more grateful for the time spent running through the woods with my little brother, riding the school bus to my mama's bookstore, getting fancy for the high school prom, long nights getting to know and fall in love with johnny at our favorite bakery, and raising our beautiful baby in our little house on the river.

but things change.
i have grown older and (sometimes) wiser
i have become a wife and mother
i have struggled to find my place in the world.

and with this comes big news and change for our little family. in less than two months time, we will be living on an island in the atlantic. and so begins the process of sorting and packing and making new memories. i am looking at this big life change as an opportunity to simplify - to choose what is necessary and what is frivolous. i am also hoping that this will be a chance for our family to start over and to follow our dreams. as johnny follows his to a fantastic farm bakery full of bread and veggies and friendly people, i hope to follow my dreams of sewing and creating full time.

here's to
taking chances
making changes
and to family.


1. IMG_1041, 2. memorial_wkd_124, 3. Rain On River, Martha's Vineyard #1, 4. Farm Pond, Martha's Vineyard, 5. Martha's Vineyard 026, 6. Martha's Vineyard, MA

animation

oh i think we can expect a whole lot more of these little animations in the future.

such an easy little program!

amish puzzle ball in
red + yellow + blue + grey felt.

with its own drawstring gift bag.

a baby shower seems the perfect way to start spring (i know, i know - there's still a few feet of snow left on the ground here in maine. but the birds have gotten louder and the mud is getting deeper and the days are much longer.) and what is better to bring to a shower than handmade goodies. and luckily for us, this little baby boy will be part of our family (a cousin for frances) which leaves me with many more opportunities to make teeny hats, and flannel blankets, and squishy stuffed animals.

i find great joy in my frankie's
baby color palette today.

and great joy in her dirty
monkey toes. they're just the best
thing to nibble and tickle on.

weekend inspiration 007

so looking forward to spring (so very much)
but until then, i'll be inspired by

the mud that it is slowly surfacing from beneath that cold cold ice.
the small bits of earth that the chickens find to roll in.
the naked baby bum that is slowly getting acquainted with the big bad potty.

1. little goblin, 2. mezio, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled, 5. ★, 6. wool, 7. Untitled, 8. sad rabbit, 9. new wiksten pieces

thoughts have been brewing and stewing and mulling around in my little brain for a while now - thoughts of little red capes, raglan sleeves and how do i design these things by myself? well, it looks as though the knitting gods were smiling down on me today.

every week i take a trip to the local thrift store - hunting out treasures that fit in my tiny budget. sometimes i come home empty handed, but more often than not i find myself with a canvas tote full of little mary janes, vintage pillowcases and flannel sheets, enormous tin plates, and occasionally a book or two.

(okay, so this makes me sound like a total pack rat/shopping addict.
i might have a bit of an overflow on my shelf of fabric in the studio, but i count my pennies.)

my newest treasure is a gem of a book, published in 1986, the glorious year of my birth (i love you, mama)! the old cliche that you can't judge a book by its cover surely applies to knitting by design - i will only say that there are fuzzy snowflakes involved. and a strange, floppy knit hat. but don't let looks deceive you - which is why i didn't even bother to photograph the cover. first impressions, y'know.

knitting psychology 101.
what can i do to save my sweater?
"quick knits" will pull you out of the doldrums.
the tear-up-some-old-fabric sweater.
(by far my favorite)

and now my afternoon will be spent reading, and working, and hopefully experimenting.

i have big plans...