Hand Knit Love

This is my son with the blanket that he has slept under from the moment that he was born. It was part of a layette that was made by my aunt (you can see it here....[rav link]). I washed it (not for the first time lol) and it was drying over a railing. Noah did not appreciate that whatsoever. In fact it infuriated him, and he could not be distracted. Finally after some food and a nap he snatched it from the railing (albeit a tad damp in spots) and ran around the house victorious. He was so happy to have it around him and it just reminded me of the love and time my aunt had put into the blanket. This is one of the major reasons I love anything handcrafted!

Also big update in the shop....five new colorways of my Borealis DK weight yarn that my Mood Lifter Slouch was written for. Also if you purchase Borealis DK and the pattern I will refund $2. I also put up some more Cashnyro Luxury Lite and Terino Luxury. Whew that was a lot of links! :)

As promised

Ta-Da! - The first braid is one half, and the lovely pile-o-fiber after that is the other half! This is the Blue Faced Leicester that I dyed up for John's Cobblestone Pullover as mentioned in yesterday's post.



Here are two of the other rovings that I dyed up that same night - they are up in the shop as of now!

Etsy Feature: Retro Crochet

A fellow Alaskan shop, I remember noticing Retro Crochet shortly after it opened through the "shop local" feature. I was so impressed! Sharon's photo's are great and I love the way she has used crochet to make amazing jewelry and other assorted fiber goodies! My favorite items of her are the peace earrings and ornaments. They are done very delicately, but are still bold and fun! Several of her items are made using upcycled materials. Every little bit helps!




She offers some great patterns including one for this Anime Ninja Doll, my sister is a big anime fan and this pattern has me ready to pick up crochet again!


I know everyone if tired of hearing the words "econimic crisis" but please make the effort to still shop local and handmade. This directly influences that person's life and how much better is that than just being a transaction number at a big box store!

Etsy Art

Today I would like to feature one of my favorite shops on Etsy.

Katie m. Berggren art & design

She does some of the most amazing intimate and heartfelt artwork that I have ever seen. I ordered one of her prints as a gift for our midwives after the birth of my son Noah. I really am hoping that I will get another print for myself for mothers day. Artists like Katie do such an awesome job capturing the complex and intense bonds of family. When I received her package in the mail I was inspired as to how well it was packaged and the professional nature of materials and information included. I am hoping that we will be able to bring by her print to the midwives tomorrow and I just know that it will be a beautiful addition to the birth center and I hope it is an inspiration to them and the new and growing families that will see it there.

Alaska has been in the middle of a cold snap and it is wearing very thin. Supposedly it should be over Friday or so but I think I have heard "it should be warming up in the next couple of days" at least three times now in the last 2 1/2 weeks or so! Which reminds me, I need to go plug in my car - negative 12 degrees is not kind to my engine.