waldorf mama

wip wednesday :: sunhat and needle case

i've got two new work-in-progress projects to share today, the first of which is a new sunhat for maya's first day of kindergarten....

maya's pinwheel sunhat

as i have shared before, it is traditional in the waldorf philosophy for all children to wear hats outdoors (in all seasons of the year) to 'keep the inner soul warm and protected'. and here in texas, one should certainly never be without a sunhat.

i'm also making a similar needle case to the one i made for myself...for my oldest daughter, hannah, who has taken up her knitting again after a long hiatus (she first learned to knit when she was 7 years old)! she chose this lovely blue/green felt combination and contrasting brown embroidery thread.

needle case for hannah's knitting bag

happy wednesday to everyone!

shelley

baby hats and socks...

one of the things (among many) that i'm really loving about ravelry is the way it's bringing me back to old, beloved projects so that i can document and photograph each one. this not only allows me to keep organized (which i am obsessive about), but also to reminisce about the making of each special item.

below are the two sets of special hats and socks that i knit for maya when i was pregnant with her (you can see more photos of these projects on my ravelry project page). and believe it or not, the silk i used for both of these sets was purchased many years earlier at my favorite yarn shop (which i shared with you previously in this post). i now know that each of these skeins of lovely silk was just waiting for the right project to come along.

in fact, it was this very first pilot cap (which maya wore only moments after her birth) which set in motion what was to become my passion about sharing the importance of keeping babies heads covered. which, in turn, was the foundation of creating my first etsy shop.

first knitted set i made for maya...

 {consisting of her first pilot cap, first bonnet and first socks - made from natural tussah silk}

the pilot cap that started it all...

first silk socks...

second knitted set i made for maya...

 {consisting of second pilot cap, bonnet and socks - made from rosy pink tussah silk}

pink silk bonnet...

yours in happy knitting memories,

shelley

new baby hat photos...

we had a bit of fever and illness over the weekend so i'm getting a later start to my day today, but i am so excited to share some lovely new photos of two of my silk pilot caps by the talented cari vaughn, of cari vaughn photography. she purchased these two hats from my etsy shop, one in rosy pink and one is natural creme, and graciously sent me these beautiful pictures of them...

oh my, aren't they precious? what lovely photography! thank you, cari!

there is something very special that happens to me when i see a newborn adorned in one of my hats. it brings me a warm feeling of comfort to hope that i am, in some small way, spreading the word about keeping babies heads covered in natural fiber hats.

yours in gratitude and joy,

shelley

summertime...

sing a song of sunny hours,

dreaming with the bees and flowers.

sing a song of babbling brooks,

dancing on by shady nooks.

...

sing a song of happy praise,

thankful for these sunny days.

sing a song of softest breeze,

blowing gently through the trees.

...

sing a song of joyous light,

making all the world so bright.

sing a song of happy praise,

thankful for these sunny days.

handspun hat...

years and years ago, when i first learned to knit, there was a lovely yarn and fiber shop about 30 minutes drive out into the country from where i live. i remember vividly the first time i visited there. it was quite magical for me. it was a rather large shop, right off the town square in a small and friendly community. and there were so many lovely, natural fiber yarns hanging on the walls and atop every surface and in every nook and cranny in this shop that i could scarcely take it all in. i thought i was surely in heaven.

the owner of the shop was an energetic and vibrant young mama, with a personality to match. indeed, she removed all traces of any thought that knitting was just for little old ladies and such. she was always wearing something that was handknitted and inspired all those around her to knit. the shop also had a mascot - a very large white angora rabbit who hopped about freely and had his run of the place.

sometime after many, many visits (and untold purchases) there...i received news that the little town had been ravaged by a tornado and that the shop had sustained severe damage (no one was injured, thank goodness, and the bunny had survived safely in his crate!) and would not be reopening.

so why am i telling you this story about a old yarn shop, you ask? here's why...

this is one of the first hats i ever knitted and i bought the handspun yarn for it from that old beloved shop. in fact, i took a yarn dyeing class right there on the premises and dyed the yarn myself before knitting with it. i know it's just a plain and simple hat, but my, what memories come flooding back to me when i see it...

it was a time when that new, creative energy for knitting was born in me and i was captivated by all the possibilities that lay ahead. i remember being drawn to the rustic and handmade nature of this particular handspun wool yarn (which the owner had actually spun herself) and instantly visualized making a hat out of it (truth is, i bought and dyed two skeins of this yarn and made hats for both of my older girls - the one you see here in pink and another in lavender, although the lavender one has apparently been lost somewhere along the way)...

and now, years later, as is true with most handmade things in our home...this hat has been passed down and is still being used.

yours in the glow of some handspun memories today,

shelley

wip wednesday :: more rainbows

my two wip project updates for this week both involve more rainbows. (are you really surprised?) the first is a new rainbow dress i am making for maya (although maya is quick to point out that this is not a true rainbow, and only pastel colors). i am knitting this dress for her first day of kindergarten (the end of this month). it's a lovely and simple pattern, knit in the round from the top down and with absolutely no seaming...

i am really loving this yarn and the way it is knitting up...

my second project today is simply an update on maya's rainbow poncho. i've finished the first panel and am four colors into the second. this malabrigo is a dream to work with...

happy knitting!

shelley

me :: july 09

i totally forgot my self-portrait for july, so here is an out-of-focus shot that maya took of me...

me :: july 09

and a sweet shot of my two loves...