Hand Work

This season I have had a chance to put my hands to work making things.  These things represent so much enjoyable connection time with friends, or with a good audiobook.  Having the space to create and connect and learn gives me so much more energy and emotional capacity for my day job.

I haven't knitted in a really long time (maybe since third grade...), but I was inspired by this fox cowl pattern to pick it up again.  My friend Kristy helped me to navigate the cryptic knitting pattern shorthand, and luckily Gigi loves to wear it on cold days.

Above are river rocks decorated with a sharpie and white craft pen.  Below is the needle felted fox I made last week.  This fall I have been attending a Monday crafting night with Emerson Waldorf mommies, and we have been making items to sell at the Holiday Faire that just happened last week.  Ildi is our Hungarian friend, and she is trained in handwork and has a crafting studio.  She has patiently instructed our band of friends for months in the arts of sanding and painting wooden toys, and needle felting.  This has been so tricky for me!  The dyed wool is literally a pile of fluff when you start the process, and then it must take on a shape and personality of some sort.  This fox has made me so proud, because this art medium has taken me a long time to get the hang of.  

And then there is this guy.  I made two little pinecone elves a few years ago to decorate for Christmas, and pinterest inspired me this year to make use of an apothecary jar I have had sitting on a shelf in the closet.  So with a little sled I found at the thrift store for 10 cents, Gigi's idea of putting one of our little miniature Christmas trees on the sled, and a dumped container of Morton's salt, we made our little winter scene for the living room sideboard.  It makes me happy every time I walk by.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!