Project 8 from The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids

In my new book The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids, I included a glossary of lots of line drawings that kids can use for stitching guides. I stitched a bunch of them on felt from A Child's Garden. Here are some of them. 

This project would be a nice teacher gift project.

Check out the new book on my website here. Books begin shipping after August 5th. I'll be happy to sign them for anyone you like. $16.95 plus $4.00 shipping. 

Projects 6 and 7 from The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids

Any new stitcher needs a pincushion to store their needles and pins. This sweet little pincushion is made of felt from A Child's Dream. I wrote the word Sew and added some stars. Sweet project that will become a keepsake. 

The next project is one that goes with the current trend of framing embroidery in embroidery hoops. For this project, the dots are printed with fabric paint. Then the outlines are stitched in fun colors. It's quite nice to get kids thinking about cross-crafting like this. 

Check out the new book on my website here. Books begin shipping after August 5th. I'll be happy to sign them for anyone you like. $16.95 plus $4.00 shipping. 

Projects 4 and 5 from The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids

Kids love making presents for others. In my new book - The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids - I have included many projects that make great gifts. Here's a fun one - a little stuffed owl. 

Kids love their grandmas, their friends, their family. What says love more than a heart. Why not help a little friend whip up a heart pillow like this one. 

 

Check out the new book on my website here. Books begin shipping after August 5th. I'll be happy to sign them for anyone you like. $16.95 plus $4.00 shipping. 

Projects 2 and 3 from The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids

Here's another couple of projects for kids from my new book - The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids.

This first project is a super project for kids. They will stitch flowers or any design on felt. The embroidered felt is then sewn as a pocket to the outside of a purchased canvas bag. Makes a nice present. Felt from A Child's Dream. 

Project No. 3 from my new book - The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids - is for your kids who love their tech. 

You know how hard it is to get the tech away from the kids. Why not tempt them to make something to carry their phones and ipods? Using some homemade wool felt, a button, and a little embroidery floss they can have a sweet little pouch. 

Check out the new book on my website here. Books begin shipping after August 5th. I'll be happy to sign them for anyone you like. $16.95 plus $4.00 shipping. 

Project 1 from The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids

Hi All - popping in today to share one of the new projects for kids in my new book - The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids.

This project shows kids that they can use fabric as a backdrop for their stitching. 

I found the fabric at Joann's in the upholstery section. Upholstery fabric is great to stitch on because it is a little more coarse. I added a whole bunch of stitches to make a fun wallhanging. Then I framed it in a hot pink frame. Sweet project. 

Check out the new book on my website here. Books begin shipping after August 5th. I'll be happy to sign them for anyone you like. $16.95 plus $4.00 shipping. 

Announcing The Amazing Stitching Handbook For Kids - My Newest Book from FunStitch Studio

I've been holding out on you all! I have a new book that was published on July 7th. 

It is called The Amazing Stitching Handbook for Kids. Here's the back story to this book. Back in 2004, my very first embroidery book was published by STC. It was a hard cover book that was aimed to teach children to stitch. It was edited by Melanie Falick. 

As you probably all know, books come and books go. Books do not stay "in print" forever. The term "in print" means that the publisher is continuing to hold stock of books in their warehouse and to ship them.  Kids Embroidery was eventually put OOP (out of print). When a book goes OOP, depending on the contract, the rights revert back to the author, illustrator and photographer. This was the case with my book. The rights to my words and my illustrations came back to me. 

And as you all know, 2015 is a very different time than 2004. DIY has blossomed. Sewing and crafting and embroidery, and all kinds of things you do with your hands, are more popular than ever. I've been lucky to keep working and writing in this world of craft book writing.  

My Literary Agent Linda Roghaar and I met up one morning. We talked about the direction I should go in my writing career. She asked me if I would be interested in working on a second incarnation of Kids Embroidery - for another publisher. I agreed and pretty soon, I was working on a new book on stitching for children. 

If you have my first Kids Embroidery book, this one will look somewhat familiar. We used my colorful illustrations that were also featured in Kids Embroidery. I made 15 brand new projects though so it will look new to most of you.

I'm so thrilled that C&T Publishing has the faith in the art of embroidery to introduce it to children. You can check the book out on my website here. 

Over the next week or so, I will be posting projects from the book. 

Books will begin shipping after August 5th. 

BTW, Melanie Falick has now left STC and is out on her own. There is a good podcast interview with her on the site "A Playful Day" here. Check it out if you are a fan or are interested in the publishing and writing world. Melanie has always been one of the real pros in the world of DIY, craft and publishing. I look forward to seeing what she does next. 

Tuesday Market Stories - Introducing Sasha

At the weekly Tuesday Market in Northampton, MA, I have a stand under a tent where I sell our farm raised lamb. Northampton is a very busy town. It is the home of Webs/Yarn.com and Northampton Wools (just down the block from the market) for all you knitters reading. Smith College is located there as are 4 other colleges that are close by - Mt. Holyoke, UMass, Amherst College and Hampshire College. Noho, as it is sometimes called, has a bit of an alternative vibe to it and many, many folks are vegetarians. It's a crap shoot trying to sell farm-raised lamb in a vegetarian town - I never know how I will do or who I might meet. I go every week. It is a day off the farm for me and out of my regular routine. Some days are good, some not so good, but I have to show up. 

Each week, I bring a project I am stitching to help pass the time. It's amazing how just stitching on brightly colored fabric will open up a conversation with a passerby. Most of the comments are something like..... "I used to do that when I was a child." "My grandma used to stitch." "That is so beautiful." "I could never do that." It makes me feel good to build a project over the weeks and have something to keep me sane when no one is loving and buying our lamb. 

One of the passing people this season has been a 7 year old girl named Sasha. She approached me 5 weeks ago at one of the first markets. It was cold, noone was buying my lamb and she was a ray of sunshine. She said to me "What are you doing?" and I showed her my current project of the season. I have been working on wool felted fabric circles with wool embroidery on them. Here are some of them...... 

(The potholders were laid upon the Painted Tabletop Project from my new book Crafting a Colorful Home.) 

Sasha was so enthusiastic and wanted to learn to stitch. I invited her behind my table and taught her running stitch on some extra wool felt I had in my box of tricks. She had sewn some before and picked it up quickly. Next we moved onto chain stitch. Sasha was amazingly quick and smart and funny. I could tell she "has it in her fingers." We sat stitching and chatting - the two of us. 

Sasha's Mom, sister Lola, and Sasha have come to the market every week since. At around 3:15, when school lets out the Tuesday Market starts filling up with kids and families. It is a very active place - with the flavored Shaved Ice being the biggest seller. Just after 3 p.m. each week, Sasha runs up to me, slips behind the table, and gets to work. I'm waiting for her to get bored and move onto something else but not yet. 

In the first 3 weeks, Sasha learned Running Stitch, Chain Stitch, French Knots, French Knots on Tails, and Whipstitch. She renamed french knots on tails as TADPOLE KNOTS. Aren't kids imaginations awesome? Sasha finished this potholder in 3 weeks of market stitching time.  

When I saw Sasha the week after she finished the potholder, I asked her what she did with it. She said she sold it to her Mom for $6.00. Gotta love it. Here she is - proud as punch with her 3 week potholder project. 

Last week, Sasha made an entire potholder in one market session. She learned Spider Web, Whipped Running Stitch and Blanket Stitch. Here it is.

If you ask Sasha what her favorite stitch is, she will say Cross Stitch. When she was just about ready to leave, she told me she wanted me to have the yellow potholder. Thank you Sasha! I will treasure it always. Can't wait to see you next week. 

If you want to teach a young friend of yours embroidery this summer, I have a limited number of my 2004 hard-cover Kids Embroidery books for sale on my website. I'll be happy to sign one to your gift recipient. Here's the link to the page. You could also add a pack of my "Some of Each" Crewel Wool assortments to make a nice little end of school year gift for one of your favorite students. Crewel wool is very forgiving and I highly recommend it for teaching kids to stitch. 

Help me spread the Embroidery Love and pass on the art of Crewel Embroidery to the younger generation! 

And Sasha - I will see you next week. 

I'm on my way to Boston to teach STEEKING and EMBROIDERY ON KNITS at Stitch House in Dorchester Saturday. There are still spots available. Here is the link for more information. I've heard such good things about this store - I cannot wait to meet the staff and customers and see all they offer. It is one of those stores that sells both yarns and fabrics so it will be a feast for the senses. Hope to see some of you blog readers there. 

Can't get to Stitch House? You can still take an embroidery class with me over on Craftsy. This weekend they are having a Flash Sale with all classes of sale. Use this link to get a discount on any Craftsy class you want. (I will earn a small commission if you use my link - thank you!)

http://www.craftsy.com/ext/KristinNicholas_holiday

Embroidery is a great craft to do in the summer months because it is so portable and will not get you over heated like knitting can sometimes. Besides - you can teach friends too. 
What a fun way to spend a summer with a child or grandchild - both of you learning to stitch via my on-line Craftsy Class Stitch It with Wool! Check it out here. 

Farmers Market Stitching + Sunflower Embroidery Reveal

Every Tuesday, I sell our lamb at the Tuesday Market behind Thorne's Marketplace in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is a lively market but honestly, I can never tell how I am going to do sales-wise. I just try to go into it with an open mind and not stress about the dollar outcome each week. It's hard because our farm is our business and livelihood but I try not to get too discouraged. 

One way I keep the stress out of my mind is by bringing something with me to stitch. It's a nice chunk of time when I am in one place and depending on the traffic, sometimes I get a lot of work done. 

Yesterday, I had a visit from Cheryl who has just begun stitching again. She is a knitter but she has been inspired to pick up a needle and thread. She purchased my Circles Sampler kit and ran out of a color of thread. I brought it with me and so I got to see her progress so far. Here it is. 

Cheryl is so excited about her project. (Here is the link to order the kit.) As her skills have increased, she is doing what I wish every stitcher would do - making up stitch combos up on her own. Cheryl is winging it! Go Cheryl. She has even signed up for my Crewel Embroidery Retreat August 8/9. I look forward to spending more time with her. You can sign up too! Here is the link. 

Last year, I worked on several different Crewel Embroidery projects at the Tuesday Market, including my Sunflower Pillow that I have been sharing here, here, and here over the past couple months. I finally had the chance to sew the backing on and take a finished shot of it. 

Here it is being blocked before sewing.

Here is a Tutorial for sewing a Removable Fabric Pillow Cover.

AND.... Here is the finished Sunflower Pillow. 

At this time, I do not have a PDF Pattern or kit for the Crewel Sunflower Pillow. Let me know in the comments or in an email if you would be interested in buying it. Depending on the interest, I may or may not put the effort in. 

I'll be back with more tomorrow about my adventures at the Tuesday Market. I have a very fun little story to share with you all. 

Julia, TV, and Quarters Countdown #3

I know everyone is in a Downton Abbey frenzy. I really can't believe it but we are not watching it. We only have one television in our house and it seems the parents always cave to the child's wishes. Or is it that she knows how to use the clicker and neither of the parent's are really clear on how it works?

Julia is rather into anything to do with movies and television - she is a walking talking tv guide. When we go to the grocery store, she can be found catching up on People and Us and on the way home, I get a report on the latest celeb scandal. Instead of watching Downton Abbey, her choice for Sunday evening was "A Smile As Big as the Moon." And so watch it she and I did. What a great movie about a special education teacher who in the late 1980's challenged the popular wisdom of the times and fought to take his special ed class to "Space Camp." The movie starred John Corbett who Julia and I love in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and I crushed on from Northern Exposure days.

Many of you who are new to the blog perhaps don't know about Julia's history but she was born with hydrocephalus and has had many shunt surgeries at Tufts/New England Medical Center in Boston. In her first two years of life, it seems like we lived there. The Farmer and I are extremely grateful for all her good doctors and nurses did for her. For the past few years, she has had no medical complications (knocking on wood) from the hydrocephalus but it is always with us. Julia is not like a regular kid - she needs special help for most learning and  accomodation for her physical challenges. 

This year Julia moved up to the Middle School and I was terrified for her and for us. I did not know how she would do, how she would be taken care of (she also has juvenile diabetes). As I was watching and tearing up through "A Smile", I couldn't help but be amazed at how the public school system has changed for the better in educating our special kids. Julia's transition to Middle School has actually been incredibly good. She is thriving in the bigger school and has a wonderful one-on-one aide who is one of the keys to this transition. The sped team in our school district has been incredibly supportive and helpful. And for the second report card in a row, Julia has made the Highest Honor Roll. 

When I went to school, I did not have any contact with kids with special needs. Back then, we were split into what I (wrongly) thought as "smart, medium, and dumb" kids. As I watched "A Smile as Big as the Moon" I realized how sheltered I was as a teen from kids with special learning styles, kids that maybe didn't catch on as quick as I did to most subjects. In the movie, they showed the special class, the dis-order, the anxieties of these children and I thought about how different the education system is now for kids with learning challenges. We are lucky that Julia is a sped kid in 2012 vs 1989 or 1965.

In our school system, Julia is in a class with kids of all abilities. The kids are all taught the same things (with modifications for some). They are tested at the same time but the difference is they are tested to their ability. I write this to you all because I know that many of you either don't have children yet or are no longer in contact with what is going on in the schools now. Kids with learning challenges can still have successes and reach Highest Honor Roll. As a Mom with a sped kid (that's how Julia and I talk about her learning challenges - it is not a bad thing in our house, it is just what we deal with), I am so thankful that my daughter can feel successful. The pride she has in completing her homework, in doing well on a test is helping to boost her confidence and self-esteem. 

If you have a chance to watch "A Smile as Big as the Moon" or read the book, do. It will make you feel great and help you to conquer your latest obstacle, learning challenge, knitting project, or internal stumbling block. It will be running frequently on the Hallmark Channel if you can get that.

The photos on this blog post are of Julia over the past couple years wearing her various mommy-made Quarters Caps. I can't help but say that she too has "a smile as big as the moon." It is so much fun to look at her ever-present smile and cheerful personality as it shines through these photos. Julia might not be like most kids but she is happy and is finding her way. I feel so blessed to have had the gift of her life in mine and to have learned all she has taught me along the way.

You can purchase my Quarters Cap pattern on my website here or on Ravelry here. Until the Big Game is over on Sunday, I'll be donating 20% of the profits to Halos for Hope. Check out the Halos For Hope site here. 

Here's some Super Bowl hype that you will enjoy! Go Bev!

Bummer Summer? I Hope Not! A New Judy Moody Movie AND a Peter H. Reynolds + Kristin Nicholas Giveaway for Kids! Double Rare!

Last weekend, Julia and I were lucky to get tickets to a real honest to goodness bigtime Movie Premiere! And we didn't have to go to Hollywood - all we had to do was drive to Dedham, Massachusetts. Julia entered a contest at the Blue Bunny - a great kids bookstore run by the Reynolds Family - and amazingly she won! Off we went early Saturday morning with cousin Lillian and Uncle Bruce to see Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer. The movie opens in theatres across the US today. Produced by the same company who did "Precious", it was a fun, no holds barred celebration of a kids summer full of wild imaginings and the spirit of Judy Moody. (If you don't know who Judy Moody is, she is a character created by Megan McDonald, a kids book author that has turned into a multi-book series wildly popular with the 6 to 10 year old kids - boys and girls. Judy is illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, author/illustrator of The Dot and Ish along with many, many other kids books.)

Hosted by Peter H. Reynolds and his family and their Blue Bunny Bookstore, Fablevision (their media and learning complany), Candlewick Press, and Smokewood Entertainment, this was the very first showing of the movie in the U.S. Complete with security guards, it was quite something in the little old-fashioned theatre in Dedham's town center. Kids were dressed as Judy Moody. It was a festive atmostphere to be sure! What a great day. If you have kids or grandkids, take them to see Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer. Lots of great kids lessons (and adult for that matter) presented in a fun and spirited way.

After the movie, there was a party at the Blue Bunny complete with kids dressed as Judy....

a Judy Moody Cake.......

and a "Double-Rare" book signing with Peter H. Reynolds. I'll admit, Julia is a bit of a stalker. Not really, she is just a really enthusiastic reader and she has been waiting for a Judy Moody Movie ever since she began reading these books a few years ago. Peter has been incredibly kind to her. His whole family welcomes her to the store. It was a great day.

To celebrate the launch of Judy Moody's Movie and the beginning of summer, Julia and I are hosting a kids giveaway here on the blog. We picked up extra swag from the premiere, had Peter sign it for the lucky winner. We bought the first Judy Moody Book which he signed and drew an illustration on.

Here's what Julia and I have for you.

"Peter H. Reynolds" Signed Judy Moody Movie Poster

"Peter H. Reynolds" autographed copy of the first Judy Moody book

Judy Moody pencils

Judy Moody activity book

And to make the prize package even sweeter (and a little more appropriate for this blog!) I'm throwing in 

a signed copy of my Kids Embroidery
a signed copy of Kids Knitting

embroidery floss and needles

some other rare bits to get a kid crafting this summer!

Here's how you enter...

Answer the following question in the Comments section of this post.....

 Ahhhh, summer vacation as a kid. Remember them? What's your fondest memory of your "not so bummer summers." Did you read incessantly? Craft? Learn to cook? Build tree forts? Swim until your fingers turned into prunes? Go to camp?

Remember to leave an easy way to get a hold of you.

Contest ends next Wednesday June 15th at midnight.

And take your kids, grandkids, little friends or just yourself to see the Judy Moody Movie. You'll remember what it is like to be a kid on summer vacation again. I think that feeling can never be replicated - the last day of school - watching the clock tick down, the bell ring, and the doors open - free for a whole summer of nothing.... I hope you and your kids, your grandkids, or just your plain old self have a really great summer learning, being outdoors and genuinely enjoying life.

Crazy! Butter Live from GIYIreland

Late yesterday afternoon, Julia and I tuned into "Butter Live" on the GIYIreland website. It just sounded like such a kooky idea - making butter with people all over the world via a live feed from an elementary school somewhere in Ireland. We picked up a quart of heavy cream at the store, hooked up with the feed and we were ready to go.

I heard about this from Ella McSweeney. And there she was on the computer sitting on the island in our kitchen in western Massachusetts. How wild! The original instructions said we would need a whisk. I was thinking we were going to have to "whisk" the cream into butter all by hand. When the feed started, I realized that a "whisk" in Ireland is actually what we call a hand mixer. The program began with a great little demo with a real farmer named Alan Kingston who actually makes butter (along with many other products) and sells it to consumers. American Imen McDonnell, author of the blog I Married an Irish Farmer, was along too They all explained why cream turns to butter and did a demo so everyone would know what they were supposed to do. 

Ella has the entire video of it on her blog here. She says to start 10 minutes in..... It's fun to hear the accents and see the school children. You can follow along with the video and do this with your kids or grandkids. Julia was totally into it....

She mixed her little heart out. All of a sudden, the cream started turning yellow and the "buttermilk" began weeping out of it. We had done it! It's really nice to see her have interest in something like this.

 

We then had to squeeze the extra liquid out of the butter with our hands. The Irish folks had "butter paddles" and made some great looking rectangles of butter. We put our butter in a ceramic bowl. From the quart of cream (which cost $5.59), we got 10 ounces of butter. As with so many homemade things, it isn't cheaper to make butter this way but it was a good lesson in how farm products are turned into items we rely on in the kitchen every day.

Annika the cat was fascinated by the whole thing. I think she was trying to figure out where the people were that were talking on the computer screen.

And she started drinking the buttermilk before I had time to jar it up. Score one for the cats.

I was looking forward to breakfast this morning - homemade sunflower oatmeal whole wheat bread with homemade butter. If I had been really organized, I would have gotten the milk from my brother-in-law, separated the cream off of it, and really had homemade butter.

I don't think there is an organization quite like GIYIreland in the States. Too bad. It looks like they are really doing a lot to promote growing veggies and animals for real homegrown food. I will be looking on to see how their campaign progresses this year as the growing season ramps up.

And look what I found in my garden this morning - wow. There is hope that the winter will be over soon!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Summer Stitching with Kids

Julia and her friends have finished up their class at Cherscapes Studio. I snapped this photo on the last day of the three girls and Cheryl, their wonderful teacher. Don't they all look so happy with their beautiful textiles?

Here's a close-up of Julia's stitching. The kids drew the stitching lines through a template and then used floss for stitching.

I could not believe how good she did. She printed or painted the fabrics and then applied the fabrics to muslin with fusible web and then did all the hand-stitching and machine stitching with Cheryl's guidance. I'm hoping I can get her to do a little bit on her own this summer.

If you want some ideas for stitching with some of your little friends this summer, look for my book Kids' Embroidery. Sadly, the publisher has taken it out of print but I have copies for sale in my shop.

Julia's Fiberart Experience at Cherscapes Studio in Greenfield

This spring Julia has been taking a series of Fiberart classes at the new "Cherscapes" Studio in Greenfield. It has been a great three months for her. She's met some similarly aged girls from other towns who are interested in sewing, surface design, and crafting things. I must admit, this was my idea but Julia has gone along for the ride and has actually looked forward to each Wednesday afternoon.


Cheryl has worked as a teacher with kids with learning issues so I thought she would be a great person to help Julia learn more about the things I like to do. Julia is never much interested in what I make and I haven't had a lot of luck getting her to learn to make and do. Cheryl on the other hand has.

Julia has made tie-dyed and painted fabrics, she made and printed from a silkscreen. She has learned to use a sewing machine and how to stuff a pillow, and she is even learning some basic sewing.


Here she is in a photo by Cheryl embroidering on a hoop.


The class is over for this school year but I'm hoping I can swing getting Julia to go back again. Thank you Cheryl for all your help, patience, and kind nature.


You can check out Cheryl's blog here and her classes here. I have several friends who are taking the adult series of Surface Design Classes and they are loving it!

I hope I can take one of her silk screen workshops one day as that is something I have always wanted to do. Maybe next year. Have a peek at Cheryl's silk scarves here on her website.

Books for Tween Girls and Brattleboro, VT

I guess I have to finally admit that Julia has reached the "tweens." She's been telling me this for a while but I refused to agree with her. It's not so bad - in fact yesterday when we were walking down the street in Brattleboro, on our way to Knit or Dye, I was telling Julia how I loved the age she is now. I much prefer it to the two's, the three's the four's. This is so much more fun for me and I think for her too.

Julia and I just listened to Time's Up (#12 in The Beacon Street Girl Series) on CD borrowed from our local library. I was skeptical about it thinking it wouldn't be of much interest to me but I was pleasantly surprised. Knitting plays a huge part in the story. There are some nice story lines about inter-generational relationships and about time management too. A good book for knitters to share with their tweens - so says this mom!

Julia is into reading series books and I think it is great. Currently she is working her way through The Beacon Street Girls, The Main Street Series (Ann Martin), and the old 1970's Babysitter's Clubs (also Ann Martin). Haven't been able to get her into Nancy Drew yet. Oh well.

It's not often I find something in the NY Times for Julia to read but this article caught my eye about the re-issuing and updating of The Babysitter's Club Books for girls. Much to our local librarian's chagrin, Julia is trying to read everyone of this series. She is up to #84 she tells me. They were all withdrawn from our library. Interlibrary loan has been very busy filling her requests. She reads one or two a day.

I say, great literature or not, if she loves them and wants to keep reading - kudos. She is so excited about the new pre-quel mentioned in the NYT article. I never read the BSC books - I missed them. Did any of you? Any other ideas for reading for tween girls that you have found?

If you are local, you might like to visit the relatively new shop called Knit or Dye in Brattleboro. Owned by a lovely young woman Rachel, the shop is well-lit, well-stocked and really pleasant. Rachel is even stocking my Julia Yarn (thank you Rachel). In the basement there is a lovely little tea room called The Twilight Tea Lounge. Brattleboro is loaded with all kinds of interesting independently owned stores including a slew of bookstores. It is worth a drive if you have the time. Delectable Mountain is another not to miss fabric store. There's a Gallery Walk too the first Friday of the month in the evening. We are lucky to live so close...... Good weekend everyone.

The Day Before Real Life Starts Again

Oh, how I remember the night before I had to go back to school after Christmas vacation. My stomach was all tied up in knots and I could barely sleep. The entire Sunday before the Monday my four sisters and I would play with our Christmas toys and anticipate going back to school the next day, wishing beyond hope that Sunday or January 1st hadn't arrived. I’m sure there was a lot of bickering as there always was. I’m also sure my mom couldn’t wait for Christmas vacation to be over so she would have a bit of time to breathe. I remember crying in bed while trying to go to sleep. Sleep was so hard to come by that night…… I remember this all as if it were yesterday.

But it isn’t yesterday. It is over 40 years later. Yesterday, I spent a wonderful day with my daughter doing absolutely nothing. We didn’t leave the house except for a quick walk up the hill in the whipping wind and blowing newly fallen snow.

Julia lay on the couch working on her finger knitting, watching her new favorite DVD Full House (she has a crush on John Stamos). I worked a bit on my computer fixing an upcoming pattern for you all (stay tuned later this week).


Late in the morning, I made chicken stock. I emptied the bags out of the freezer full of all kinds of odd chicken bones, chicken carcasses and leftover cooking liquids. I save all the leftover bones from any meal we have with chicken, toss them in a plastic bag and stow them in the freezer until there are enough to make a huge pot of chicken stock. Sometimes I have to fight the cats for the bones – it’s pretty even – the cats are sometimes quicker than moi. How’s that for frugal? I always feel good about making chicken stock because I am actually making a meal out of something many people would throw away.

When The Farmer came home from checking on the new lambs, our chicken soup was ready for lunch complete with homemade egg noodles. Did you ever make homemade egg noodles? Really easy, no special tools required except for a rolling pin. Follow an egg fettucine recipe……

Then I coerced Julia into modeling her Christmas gift of “slipper socks” from my book. “Oh, Mommy, please….” Me, “please….” Her, “Should I do it just like Margaret?" Margaret is the model on the couch from Color by Kristin. “Yes, thank you.” It wasn’t much of a stretch for her considering she was already laying on the couch working on her finger knitting.


We watched our new Christmas DVD Julie and Julia, baked a batch of chocolate shortbread cookies, and drank tea and hot cocoa. It was a perfect day.


(Pillow in the background of the photo above from Color by Kristin too.)

Now it is today, the day life gets back to “normal." I couldn't sleep last night, just like when I was a little kid -- except that I was worrying about lots of grown up things that I hadn't thought about in a couple of weeks. I think that is the great thing about the holidays. You can suspend your life and forget about all the real pressures that are out there all around you every day - paying bills, visiting doctors, getting to school or work on time, changing the bald tires, paying the mortgage and taxes, worrying about the world, and of course, eating whatever you want. And so it is a whole year now until next year at Christmas when we can sink into our own little holiday heaven.

I hope you all have a Happy 2010 ahead full of color and knitting and stitching and creating. From our farm to yours.......

p.s. Susan B. Anderson of the Itty Bitty Series of knitting books is having a giveaway over on her blog of TWO copies of Color by Kristin. Check it out! Thanks so much to Susan for all the kind words about my book. She is one of the most talented designers I know and super nice to boot!