Glimpses

The last weekend only lasted from Sunday to Monday but somehow it felt so much longer. I guess that is how you know it was a really good one. Despite all the rain we spent a good time of it outside in the woods, splashing through paddles and muddy places. Unfortunatly I have not discovered yet, how to take good pictures in the woods. They all get blurry. Just imagine a small boy jumping into a paddle here:

Inbetween rain showers I managed to go treasure hunting at a flea market and of course I can't spare you with some pictures of my favourite pickings:

Some lovely vintage towels. So many ways to use them I will still take some time to decide...

A vintage clutch which I might use to carry small projects.

This fantastic old whiskey box.

A beautiful childrensbook telling the story of a japanese cherrytree that stopped blossoming during war and how the people cared for it so it would blossom again. A very sweet story.

I also found a few meters of light blue crocheted lace. Some of it has been brought to use immediatly:

Aaron tried to help a little...

There was also another birthday to deal with. It was celebrated with a special breakfast and a looong, kid-free afternoon with old girlfriends and young(er) sisters. I was showered with lovely thoughtful gifts, such as a foot massage, a soon to come afghanish dinner out, the fanstastic new book "Reinvention" by Maya, flowers and this very friendly garden gnome torch made from 100% beeswax by handicapped people in a Camphill Community. Isn't he cute?

I hope you all had a good start into this week, wishing you a lovely one!

Yarn along - Well seated

Knittin and reading. My favourite things to complete a perfect day. So I am joining Ginny on Wednesdays for Yarn Along to share my passions with you. Come and join in if you like!

I guess I don't have to explain to you very much about what I am reading at the moment, right? Or are any of you not in love with Soulemamas blog and have not heared about the new beautiful magazine Taproot? It arrived today and I am so very exhited. Even though, or maybe especially because we live in a big city with just a balcony to maintain, I love it all. And it does wake longings in me, for more nature around me, more roots....

The other item in that picture, the one that looks a lot like a felted sombrero, is my attempt to make a seat cushion for this old wooden stool that I found at the street some month back. The top of that stool has seen lots of stuff (not getting into details...) even before it reached us. There are some kids drawings on it for example.

I have wanted to make a cushion for that stool since the day I found it. It has never been a priority though... Until I found an article on felted strings in one of my mums "Landlust" magazines (yes, she has a whole pile if them and I looked through all of them and took pictures of all the ideas I liked). First you have to crochet some strings (chain stitch) out of feltable yarn, then felt them in the washing machine. Here are some of the ideas from the magazin for you: (I guess acctually that is not exactly legal, is it?)

Anyway, I once tried to knit the seat cushion from "More last minute knitted gifts" and failed at that. Very strange knitting that is, knitting in a circle...

Now I gave that crochet hook a try, just chain stitches, so no hurt feelings here and used up all my felting yarn stash and my mums handspun skeins. It didn't turn out to be enough in the end though and I'll have to get some more strings to finish the cushion but I am getting there. 

This is how the felted strings looked like after they went into the machine.

Then I started sewing the strings together, round after round, after round, after round, you get the idea...

Somehow the thing ended up a little more tight than I had intended so it looked more like a bowl or a sombrero. I put all my hope into blocking or rather some extra felting and pressing with a hot iron.  

Which turned out to be a good idea.

  

So for now, at least the cushion is flat. As I said, a little small though. I want to attache one more string as soon as I can and add some strings at the sides too so I can fix it to the stool because Aaron love to take off that cushion, I don't think he likes it...

Oh and btw, there is some more reading to come as I found some great books at the flea market last sunday. I just have to show you, I got a little maniac at that market...

The sheep with the cake is celebrating her birthday and gets some great presents from her friends. In the end she presents everyone with a knitted gift made from her own wool, so beautiful. I love children books!

Some great fabric founds were also made (or rather clothes and sheets I bought just for the fabric). I have all these sewing projects in my mind, I just can't decide where to start...

But, for now: Happy Yarning!

"I have heard a mother bird singin' in the rain..."

Its been so warm and sunny outside the last week we sort of got used to it. Sweet, sweet promises...

But for now we are back to the winter coats, heaters, cosy pillows and blankets. Aaron doesn't understand the sudden change of weather though and demands to go outside every day right after breakfast and right after lunch... I wish I had some more time inside to do stuff instead of being the only parent on a deserted playground in the rain. Just to see the joy in my sons face makes up for my wet feet though. Oh how he loves the outdoors!

But instead of being too sad about the cold outside we brought somemore spring inside. The embroidered pilow saying "Frühling" (Spring) I found at a thrift store the other day. I only wish the lady who has once stitched it with so much love would know that someone really appreciates her work again today.
Also we now have some pretty birds in our living room. There is a great tutorial and free pattern for those birds here, which I found via my beloved Pinterest. The pattern is very simple, a great project for kids and can be done by hand or maschine ( I used the maschine) and you can use all your leftover fabric scrapes. It has been so much fun to do some sewing again and I dearly enjoy our birds and the spring feeling they spread at home. I think they would also make lovely gifts for easter...

Welcome Spring 

I have heard a mother bird

 singin' in the rain, 

Telling all her little ones

 Spring has come again!

 I have seen a wave of green 

Down a lovely lane, 

Making all the hedges glad 

Spring has come again! 

I have found a patch of ground 

Golden in the sun,

 Crocuses are calling out 

Spring has just begun!

 Irene Thompson