knitting with Rowan Fine Art

 

This, my friends, is Fine Art. The much-anticipated new sock yarn from Rowan. (Yes, their very first premium hand-painted sock yarn!) It's a blend of fiber and color. Designed for socks, shawls and other accessories, it is made with merino wool, kid mohair, mulberry silk and polyamide to make it the perfect choice for all kinds of projects. 

Fine Art is also a story of the people in South Africa who source, spin, and dye the yarn. 'If there is one aspect of this business we'd really like to highlight, it's the empowerment of individuals.' You can read more here about the group of people who form a collaborative effort to create this beautiful hand (and sponge!) painted yarn. It's a pretty neat story worth checking out.

 

You may remember when I first posted the gorgeous photos from the Fine Art Collection here, and when I got my skein in the mail (and saw the gorgeous neutrals in this colorway, called Chiff-Chaff) I started to get excited about a certain pair of ankle socks in the book.

 

And so I cast on Sparrow by Gemma Atkinson, shown in the photo above. It's a bit hard to see the detail on the cuff in these photos, so had a fun surprise as I started knitting these! There are three rows of gathered lacy bits near the top and the rest is garter stitch, which shows off the color changes ever-so-nicely.

Even more fun than watching the colors change is feeling the softness as you go. This yarn is so incredibly soft and wonderful to knit with. It's not stiff, and not flimsy. I can tell these are going to feel incredible when I finally get to wear them. (Oh yeah ... did I mention that this is my very first time knitting socks?) Even if I make a few rookie mistakes, these are going to be beautiful, I can tell. I'm sure this very first pair will be a little bit extra special.

sidewalk safari

The Sidewalk Safari line at Free People has me totally sucked in. (This jacket? I die.)

Crazy cool. All of it. Click the link below to check it out. (Free shipping on orders $100 or more.)

Hostile Takeover

This is all happening, right now. This weekend is Hostile Takeover III, The Corporation's biennial scooter rally. Lots of bands, food, scooter rides ... and hanging out. Check out the schedule of this weekend's events here. Updates will occur on Twitter (@thecorpsc) if changes in the schedule are made due to weather, Russian asteroids, etc. It's probably going to rain (it always does) but it will be fun.

what a week.

It's been a bit of a whirlwind around here the past week. Have you been feeling it, too?

First off, Lotus had a dance recital that was brought to a halt by a tornado warning, right as she was about to go on stage. Her sweet teachers kept the kids calm backstage by playing duck duck goose until the warning had passed.

 We've had Girl Scout bridging ceremonies, birthday parties and celebrations for nearly being done with school.

 This weekend is Bo's scooter club rally – the Hostile Takeover.

Tomorrow is my dad's birthday.

 

And I'm heading off for a quick one-night getaway with girlfriends for the first time since Bowie was born.

But the one thing that really threw me for a loop this week was finding out that this little guy has a severe peanut allergy. I kind of let it turn my world upside down for the first day or so after I had found out, as I searched the house for anything that might contain nuts, read labels and threw things away. I was worried about keeping him safe right now; I was worried about the future. I had a long talk with our awesome pediatrician, picked up our first pack of epi-pens, did some internet research, and was so relieved when good friends who have been through this reached out with fantastic advice and support.

It is a scary thing to deal with, but I'm grateful that my kid is otherwise very healthy and happy. As this has become a more common childhood allergy, I take comfort in knowing that there are far more treatment options that may be available to us in the future, and that most schools are very careful about peanut allergies these days. This former peanut butter loving family is going to make some hard and fast changes, but everything's going to be okay.

fun with fabric paint

I used to do a lot of stamping (and stamping on fabric.) And while this is nothing new, sometimes it feels new to make some stamps, grab some paint and make a giant mess. Bowie recently grew out of a couple of shirts that I loved; they had lightning bolts on the front that looked hand-painted. So I raided the kids' closets for plain-colored basics and this is what happened.

Making stamps is easy. Remember that Vespa mobile I made awhile ago? I had saved some leftover scooter-shaped pieces of craft foam, so those became stamps. I cut out a few other shapes, too.

You can totally stamp craft foam as-is, but if the pieces are small you can use removable adhesive to stick them to an acrylic stamping block. Double-up on the shapes (i.e. glue them together) so they're not too floppy.

I always use Tulip fabric paint (the soft/matte finish kind) and a sponge brush to coat the stamps. You'll want to grab a piece of cardboard to put inside of your t-shirt so the paint doesn't bleed through.

 

And then ... stamp away. Don't worry about imperfect brush strokes or spots that don't get completely covered.. It looks better that way.

Or, if you don't feel like stamping, do a Jackson Pollock and just throw/scribble the paint right out of the bottle. Below are some pics of the kids wearing these crazy new prints that their crazy mom painted for them.

 

(These super rad plaid leggings, by the way, are from my friend Bergen's shop - Lilla Barn.)

For more awesome fabric printing ideas, check out some of my favorite bloggers' posts on stamping and painting and printing. A Beautiful Mess always does it best. Dana at Made is amazing. And these funky baby pants by Alisa Burke are completely cool.

hello, 36.

Happy Saturday! Today, I'm excited to spend time just hanging out with my family, doing our thing.

Today is my 36th birthday. (36!!) As I look back on the last year, I can't help but smile. It was the year I became a mom of two and oh my – what a busy year is has been. It feels a bit weird to jump over the 35 mark but I'm still the same old me and I look forward to the year ahead. Nothing is holding me back and these are the good times. Hope you have a happy weekend!

Spark Yarn + Fiber

I recently had the chance to knit with some super fun and colorful yarn handspun by my friend, Mary. Mary is the owner, spinner and creative mind behind Spark Yarn + Fiber. Her yarns are ever-so-soft and she uses the best, most vivid colors. (And check out the tiny sheep!)

I wanted to make something right away with this gorgeous rainbow-colored BFL wool sample. I loved this bright colorway with bright pink, purple, turquoise and gold. Again, with the sheep! Can you tell I love the sheep?!

I used the wool sample to knit a tiny cat, using this pattern. I love how this yarn stripes and it was so soft and pretty to work with. Gorgeous stuff. Tiny button eyes and an embroidered nose and this little guy was done. Lo snatched him up right away.

Next, I wanted to make something with one of these big guys. I chose the purple first and after feeling how incredibly soft it was, I decided to make a cowl. I must say – if you have any hesitation about the softness of handspun yarn, go with Spark. I'm pretty sensitive to scratchy yarns and this stuff is a dream. Zero percent scratchy. Also, you get tons of yardage in these big skeins. Definitely enough for a scarf or hat or cowl project.

Here is my finished cowl. I just love the thick/thin texture and this will definitely be super warm. This soft purple color is super rad, too. I am hoping to make a hat out of the second blue/green skein pictured above, but will tackle that another day!

If you want to see more projects I've made in the past using Mary's handspun yarn, check out my Ziggy Stardust and Iron Maiden scarves from a few years ago. They turned out super cool and I will love them forever. If you're looking for some fun handspun for yourself, definitely jump on over to Spark Yarn. Mary is currently living, working and spinning right here in Iowa, but has plans to move out West and run Spark from a cozy studio in the woods! She will be selling her awesome yarn and fiber products at Market Day in Des Moines this weekend, so definitely stop by and say hi.

take a look: Rowan's 'into the blue'

Denim and chambray are everywhere right now ... everywhere! I recently received a copy of Rowan Studio Issue 31: Into the Blue with designs by Lisa Richardson. Check out these on-trend garments knit with Rowan Wool Cotton 4 ply in blues, grays and creams. (Above: Kentucky.)

 

Carolina

 

Georgia

Alabama

Louisiana

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia 

Gorgeous, right? Over the next few weeks, be sure to visit Rowan to download two more free patterns (above) – Mississippi and Arkansas. If you haven't become a ROW@N member yet, join now, right here. Just click 'register' at the top of the page – it's free to sign up and you'll stay in the know of all of the new yarn and pattern book releases. (Do it!)

momlove: me (and happy Mother's Day!)

In celebration of Mother's Day, I've been posting a series called momlove: guest blog posts by the best of the best. I've invited some of my very favorite blogger moms to share a little bit of their wisdom and experience here. (A huge thanks to all of my friends who contributed to this series – read their wonderful posts here.)

I'm always intrigued about what life is like for other moms. We're all equal parts weird and normal, and I think we find comfort in that. What is motherhood like ... in my world? It's quite possibly everything – and nothing – like I thought it would be. That's kind of how I remember feeling in the beginning.

It's finding out that no matter how careful you are or how much you try to keep everything under control, almost everything is out of your control.

It's realizing that no matter what time of day you finally get to sit down to have something to eat, your baby knows you are relaxing. And will start crying and will need something urgently. At that exact moment.

It's trying not to freak out while keeping things running smoothly. Goodbye to that old, spontaneous 'you' ... because now someone has to keep things in line.

It's taking the time to color in a My Little Pony coloring book when you have ten million emails and deadlines hovering over your shoulder. Hovering. While you color a picture of Rainbow Dash.

 

It's trying to teach new words to a toddler who only says dadadadadadada all day long. 

'Airplane? Truck? More? Eat? Um, Mama?'  ...   'Dada.' It's waking up at 4:00 a.m. to a screaming baby or patiently listening to your new reader (ever-so-slowly) sound out a new book. When you are oh-so-very tired. Clinging to the very edge of your cliff of tiredness. It's driving the kids home from the library when the 'ideal outing' you had in your mind turns out to be anything but.

It's pretending not to be scared when a storm rips through your neighborhood and a tree crashes down across your power lines, knocking out the electricity to your house. Acting like everything is great, even though your heart is pounding. 'Everything's fiiiiine, you guys! We'll just have a camp-out in the dark. Um, flashlights are fun, right?' ('Where are they...?')

It's taking care of sick kids around the clock while being completely down and out with the flu, with no nap in sight. For any of you.

 

It's trying to remain calm when you suddenly realize that your one-year-old probably has a peanut allergy and you have to decide what to do next. It's getting a call from the speech therapist at school after determining that your child may have some form of a stutter.

It's trying your very hardest to raise children who will be good people. To give them a good foundation and hope with all your heart that they turn to you when they reach high school and shit gets real. Like Tina Fey said: 'when the crystal meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half and stick with beer.'

 

But for now, for me ... it's wiping tushies and putting on pajamas and brushing teeth and giving baths. It's reading and listening and singing. It's a whole lot of 'eat your dinner' and 'time for bed.'

It's also waking up to tiny smiling faces that somehow resemble both your husband and yourself. It's watching them grow out of all of their clothing in one season and marking another notch on the wall, an inch higher than the last. It's the laughs and the smiles and the hugs and all of the sweetness in the world, too. Because, damn ... kids are amazing, life-changing, earth-shattering little beings. I sit back and take note of how special these times are, every day. I know it will go fast and this ... right here, right now ... is an amazing time.

 

I'm not special. It's not any harder or easier or better or worse for me that it is for you. When you talk to moms, you quickly realize that every one of us has done so many of the same things. We're all different and yet so much the same. And that's pretty cool.

 

We live in an age where it's easy to feel like you have to do it all. It's hard to ask for help or lean on others, but everyone needs a break. Really. Hopefully, you can let yourself be okay with finding that balance. (And guess what? If you didn't know this already, it's totally okay.) Carve out some time for yourself and take your victory lap. Smile at those babes and know you're doing your best and it's all so worth it. Love them harder and more fiercely than you did yesterday, than you did ever before. Do your thing, momma ... do your thing. Today, I'm spending part of Mother's Day with Bo and the kids and a potential picnic. But after that? I'm meeting up with some of my best girlfriends on a patio for a beverage or two. It's our own little celebration of motherhood that has nothing to do with changing diapers or making snacks or picking up toys.

Motherhood is beautiful (and so are you.) Happy Mother's Day.

momlove: tina

In celebration of Mother's Day, I invite you to indulge in a little momlove, a series of guest blog posts by the best of the best. I've invited some of my very favorite blogger moms to share a little bit of their wisdom and experience here.

Meet my friend Tina. 

Having just returned from a short trip to Portland, I have to say the best advice I can give as a WAHM in the creative field is to take time for yourself and go discover something new. 

I'm always reluctant to travel myself, leaving my 2 1/2 year old son home with my husband. I felt a terrible guilt about taking a trip that was close to being out of our means and even guiltier for leaving my family behind. Yep, good ol' mommy guilt. Even after I landed in Portland, the guilt stayed with me. I missed them terribly. But after settling in to my hotel room and enjoying a good cup of jo' with my friend who I met down there, I was ready to discover the sites + sounds that PDX had to offer. I also had another mission while there...to reunite with my mom who I haven't seen in over 20 years. I covered a lot of ground on my trip, physically and mentally. Overall, it was one of the best trips I've had and I'm so glad I didn't let my guilt deter me from enjoying myself.

I came back a better mom, wife, creative and most importantly, a better me. It starts within us...the secret of being a good mom. We have to be alone with our own thoughts, free from those daily distractions like the sound of Nick Jr playing in the background while you hear "mommy, mommy, mommy" for the millionth time that day. We give so much of ourselves every day...every moment. It's important to replenish that so we can continue to give our children what they need and deserve and that's a happy mom. 

Yes! So good and so true. I love this and I love Tina. She is always an inspiration to me, as a friend and a mother and human being. Tina and I are Dares girls. She's talented as can be and I'm always in awe of her photography and design work. She's honest and real and since we're separated by many many miles (she lives in Alaska) I love reading what she's up to on her blog and via our sporadic 'hey, how are you doing/what's new?' emails. She is awesome and I hope we can get together for a 'taking time for yourself' getaway again soon ... the last time we hung out was in L.A. a few years ago and I'm definitely ready for more hangout time with this girl. (Mom-guilt free!) Read more about life with Tina on her blog, Life.Love.Paper.