holidays

here is a glimpse into our home this holiday season...

Our advent table (photo taken by Sonika)


Solstice, spent in front of a fire, with friends, in a tipi!


Dear Sonika, at our Christams Eve feast


Nativity, set up by Azzurra and Sonika, using toys and found objects. The dolls were a "farmer" set that I made several years ago, the little angels were made by the girls last winter.



I hope a lovely holiday season has been had by one and all!

This Weekend...

With all the work I have been doing preparing for this year's craft sale season (which we are in the thick of), I have not been keeping my bloggy promises. I have loads of pictures to share from this past fall including two trips to New York State (NYC and Rhinebeck).
Alas, there will have to be some sort of year end retrospective mega-post to come.

For now, dear reader, I give you this:
My most favoritest Craft Sale of the year, happening in the fine city of Toronto, this weekend, December 12th and 13th, at the Theatre Centre on Queen Street. Check the lovely website for more details. Hope to see you there, dont forget to come by and say hello!

tomorrow:

the fat goose craft fair!



My first foray into the Kingston indie craft scene.

lazybones...

Well, first it was all the summer camping and traveling. Then it was the move. Then it was the lack of internet. After that, about the third week in September, it has been pure blog laziness. But I'm back and I have some great photos and stories to share in the next couple of days.

We are settling into our new home on Wolfe Island, in beautiful Lake Ontario. Now that we are more or less accustomed to the ferry (ohh..the ferry!!) and have made a few friends, we are feeling at home on this island.

Here is what this fall has looked like around here.

on our way..

We are off for a couple of days of camping north of Wakefield, Quebec. Just before we head off, I thought I'd share the last two FO's of mine..two Sweet Baby Caps. One that turned out the right size for Basil, and one as a gift for Erin's coming baby boy. This first photo is of Erin, in all her pregnant glow, at her shower, with her new hat.

warrior girl...

Our dear Azzurra had a terrible fall from the monkey bars on Canada Day (July 1st) and suffered a supracondylar fracture. We spent two nights in a children's hospital, and she underwent surgery to repair her elbow...three pins are holding it together. She has been so strong and brave through all of this. We are proud of our little warrior.

Here she is recovering after surgery last Thursday.

at long last...

Well, almost a week after the fact (we have spent a lot of time at the lake the last few days), here are some photos of the busy weekend we spent peddling yarn in Kingston and Toronto. First, a couple more production shots of the day or two leading up to last weekend:



Here is the booth we had at the Skeleton Park Music Festival, it was a super rainy day, but we had fun, and did okay despite the weather.





I will be posting more photos of this event over at the Material Girls blog.

Next up, the Spring Garden Trunk Sale put on by City of Craft and hosted by the always amazing Workroom




Doing these small trunk shows is just about the most inspiring way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Besides the fact that I get to fabric gaze the whole time....



(yes i spent most of my earnings on fabric and also finally got a copy of Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing)

....but, I also get to become intimate with my fellow crafters merchandise! My absolute favorite being Bespoke Uprising, which is Roison, a super talented and friendly lady..And just check out those bloomers! Many of her fabrics are hand-dyed and her original silkscreened images are oh so lovely.



So, all said it was a fantastic weekend. And to think, it's Friday again already!

work in progress

I am busy spinning and doll making for two sales coming up this weekend! On Saturday, the Skeleton Park Music Festival in Kingston, and on Sunday, the Garden Party Trunk Sale in Toronto. If you are in either of these two fine cities, please come on over and say hello!

Here is the stuff I dyed the other day and spun last night:


Now, back to spinning!

One Day Beret

Well, this beret became the one-week-beret, but it wasn't at all slow in the knitting, I started it one night watching a movie, or maybe hockey playoffs...got about half-way through, and then picked it up a week later at work and finished hte rest off. It was made with my handspun, thick/thin heavy worsted/bulky singles, in a colourway I called 'toast'.
I like this simple pattern, because it's knit top down, and therefore suitable for yarn of any gauge..you just stop increasing when you've got the right size! I will make this pattern again in a worsted weight yarn.

Violet

Recently completed Violet Child,

Did you know that both the leaves and flowers of the Violet plant are edible? Try the leaves raw in salads, or add them to your favorite blended soup! Also, the flowers are actually a 'false' flower, meaning they produce no seed, so go ahead and eat as many as you can! We are lucky enough to have them coming up all over our backyard, and the girls just love them as a little outdoor snack-on-the-go! If you want to learn more about the medicinal and culinary uses for violet, check out Susun Weed's must have book, Healing Wise.

Montreal!

We took a short weekend trip to Montreal, and packed about as much into two days as we could! Highlights included a trip to the Botanical Gardens and Insectarium, hanging out with dear friends, yummy sandwich from Aux Vivres, and of course an inspiring visit to Marguerite of Le Grand Ourse, our favorite Waldorf Toy store, where the children played happily while I tried not to spend our entire savings on all the lovely playthings, books, fibres, supplies and instruments.
Here are some of my photos...












currently listening to: Blitzen Trapper

Mayfair!

Yesterday the whole family made the trip sown to Kingston to participate in the Mayfair at the Mulberry School. What a beautiful day. We were there from start to finish, as I was set up selling yarn and dolls.


The children made crafts, had their faces painted, made friends, enjoyed the lovely treed school yard and just generally made merry for the entire morning and into the afternoon.



After yesterday, we are feeling very secure in our decision to move to Kingston...now if we could only find a house!

Enjoy the rest of this lovely gift of a weekend....