i'm in stitches

se titula

"what the breezes whispered"

costuritas

inbetween the wanting and the needing and the wishing and the dreaming, inbetween the vigil

and the daybreak and the whispering ghosts of the morrow, inbetween the rituals and the faceless feasts, the unanswered calls and the hollow halls of delusion, inbetween the heartbeats and the deep breaths, inbetween the willingness and the pulling back, and the wounds left behind,

there, in the inbetweens, i am actually able

constanza's poem

going boho

loved making these.  trends change and i see a modern, sixties feel coming into craft magazines and books.  well, the whole concept of handmade and homespun has always been around but the sfifties and sixties were my early years and i got alot of visuals from them.  if you visit my home, you will clealry see i have an eclectic taste, but one thing is certain, there are a lot, i mean A LOT of handmade items all over the house, most of them created by myself.  i think i have always liked "the homemade home", beginning with the actual structures (tree houses, for example), continuing with the garden and then all inside.  i feel houses feel more like homes that way, not so manicured, a bit dysfunctional as we humans are, and, ultimately, more real.  so i have begun to practice the handmade more and more as i compost, crochet my own lap blanket, sew my own christmas ornaments, make my own cards, write personalized letters and even hum my own tunes.  hope you like them.

amish thanksgiving?

i wasn't even thinking of a thanksgiving theme when i began these.  it just so happened that i have this huge spool of ecru cotton, the same i used for the icicles, and kept looking at it and thinking what else can i make with this.  i have always loved cotton, especially the whites and butter colored tones. the same with linen, it just speaks minimalist elegance. 

i wanted to knit a vintage inspired baby christening cap.  i had no pattern, just the inspiration and the intuition of what to do.  it was a success.  it was knitted with tiny tiny stitches since i used the thinnest knitting needles i have with just one thread of cotton. 

the spool has shrunk from huge to large with plenty of giving in it still so i proceeded to begin a baptimal dress (in the works).

i love it when i can accomplish what i envisioned.

i so look forward to thursday.  thanksgiving is by far my favorite celebration of the year.  the turkey has been purchased and all the trimmings (yes, you guessed, no costa rica, i have broken off a five year relationship which was a real roller coaster) the cinnamon broom at trader joe's scents the house and invitations made to my children and a couple of friends. new beginnings, new reasons to give thanks, new reasons to hope and plan and come alive again. a bit scary i must admit but a decision made based on truth. 

knit, purl, crochet and bit of collage

mini book created with paper bags

i immediately fell in love with this yarn when i saw it and also immediately imagined what i would knit with it, a soft, stretchy, peppermint colored newborn baby blanket.  as i look at it now, finished, i wonder how many stitches went into it.  two solid afternoons and evenings knitting and crocheting after spending the most wonderful afternoon yesterday gardening and watering all the fruit trees, pruning the lavender deadheads and roses and watching callico take his afternoon nap on the deck and all the birds hovering around me happy at the sight of water and fresh birdseed in the bird feeder. 

and last, but not least, the pleasure of browsing through the blog of my newest follower

ciripibogar what a delight in nature photography

hogar dulce hogar

and the two shall be as one

my latest, a handstitched wedding pouch purse for a bride or bridesmaid.  again, hours and hours of labor and love went into creating this pouch.  i love it so much i wish i could keep it, but it's up in the shop for sale.  inside is a little pocket with a mini scroll with a shakespeare poem.