Zero crafting going on over here

My husband has been working crazy long hours during the past six weeks. In addition to his work/job, he's been learning a lot about the foreclosure problem (link to his blog) in the U.S. and is currently organizing this workshop. Not only does that mean that I've been working crazy long hours at home with the kids, but my left over energy - at the end of the day, or during the day - to be crafty has been very, very low. In fact, it's non-existent. I haven't even picked out a next project. I don't mind. The girls and I are outside all day, every day; we're constantly on the go and I've been enjoying every moment of it. This has also given me some extra time to read and browse magazines.

Here's the list of what I've read lately, in no particular order:

Coop (a father's day gift, but I get to read it first!)
Animal Dreams
Population 485

Cooks Illustrated (various back issues)

Weekend Sewing

A Homemade Life
Fall on Your Knees
In Defense of Food
Mother Earth News (various back issues)
Baking: From my Home to Yours (the world peace cookies are incredible)
The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving
An Introduction to Latent Variable Growth Curve Modeling (for my dissertation)

This photo is of me and my husband on a rare day off for him - the Friday before the 4th of July. We finally rigged up a pair of hammocks we bought when we were in Bocas del Toro, Panama just before we were engaged. The girls had an extra long nap and we were free to read and doze while swinging in the breeze.

Holiday Lull

The frantic pace of the holidays is almost over. There are still friends to visit with, new year's parties to enjoy and resolutions to make. But the bulk of my creative energy has been spent and I am in a period of rest and renewal.

I never did finish that second sock for my SIL, so I am slowly working my way towards that goal. I also have to re-make one handmade gift as it was too small (more on that in another post). I am also going around the house and doing little things, like making proper hanging pockets for some pieces of wall art.

I received many, many kind knitting-related gifts and I am just enjoying them in their packages for the moment: dreaming of their potential and future projects to be enjoyed. I received my first set of 5-inch dpn's. They are impossibly small looking and remind me of trying to knit with toothpicks.

One special gift from my mother-in-law was a gift certificate to the Prairie Arts and Fibers store in Grayslake, IL. Since we were at Sandhill Organics for the holiday I was able to leave the kids with my relatives for a few hours and head over there for some rest and relaxation. I came away with my first skein of cotton-nylon blend sock yarn and a beautiful dish. I think that I enjoyed the time browsing as much as my purchases. From the moment I walked into the store I felt welcomed and encouraged to touch, try and relax. I was offered tea and brownies and told to stay and little or as long as I liked. I would have stayed all day, but reality has a funny way of setting in: there were kids to clothe/feed and a drive home to make.

Now that we are home I am using my spare moments to enjoy the great books I received. I am taking my time with the pages and photos. No need to rush through these. Did you spy that one on the top of the pile? DH and I are headed there for a mini-vacation in a week. Any suggestions for not-to-be-missed textile-related things?

Peace on the 4th of July

Here is a cute, cute, cute onesie I put together for Madeline. I found the white peace t-shirt below in a box of hand-me-down clothing from a neighbor and thought I might be able to make something just like it. So, I grabbed a stained blue shirt and old onesie and set out for the unknown world of applique. I am happy with the process and how they turned out. Next time I will put some interfacing on the back side of the shirts and onesies. I think that I will also hunt down some black thread for the outline. At first I thought it was too dark, but from the photos that is what really helps the image stand out. The intense amount of stitching from the machine seems to have weakened the cotton a bit. Now I just have to get my hands on some inexpensive organic cotton t's and I'll be all set!