Inspiring

I'm going to a 2 year-olds big birthday party this weekend. I'm hoping it going to be as fun as this:


Photos by Alfred Eisenstaedt, of a 1963 puppet theatre audience, in Paris. The bottom one was taken at the moment St. George slays the dragon. I love their reactions, and their knitwear! I hope your weekend is just as well received.

Hello again, Moomins!

Do you know The Moomins? They're the best. The Moomins series is the sort of animation I couldn't believe existed when I discovered it: "I could have made this! I would have made this! I wish to god I had made this!" The best thing is that when I visit Northern European countries, I often see them (not the real Moomins, but close). I picked up a DVD of the whole series while I was in Vienna (Moomins in English and German!). At the Marimmeko shop in Copenhagen, they had a storefront devoted to Moomins. And, better yet, the shop is on Hans Christian Anderson Boulevard, as you can see in the upper right of the photo:

I picked up a tea towel at the store. It's made in Sweden and cost me £15 (for a tea towel, oh my) but I still had to have it. It proudly adornes my tiny kitchen:

And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, here's a movie, for your edification. They were originally comic book characters you see, and though I don't have any of the comics, it's the animation, made of fabric, that really has me smitten:

Bristol Knitting 1: A Hat For Kyle

When I'm in Bristol, I work with Kyle. Kyle is a riot, and he keeps me very entertained, as well as being a great help. This time while I was there working, I taught Kyle to knit. I thought he was joking when he said he wanted to learn, but he showed up on Monday with needles in hand, ready for a lunchtime lesson. And he did really well!

It was Kyle's birthday while we worked (and knitted) together. So I made him a hat in the evenings while he worked hard on his first scarf in the day. I didn't use a pattern, just cast on enough stitches and went with a colors I thought would be good for Kyle, definitely ending with a big pompom on top.

And it was a big success! By all reports, Kyle is still knitting now that I'm gone. Go Kyle, go! I'll be inspecting your scarf next time I see you!

The Great Danes: 3 Nights in Copenhagen

I'm back! After 2 weeks at Aardman, Mr. Jones and I took a Valentine's trip to Copenhagen. It was freezing! There's nothing like curing the winter blues in your own city by going to an even colder one. I was actually happy to get back to zero degree London. Still, armed with the vintage ski sweaters we bought here in London for the trip, we saw great sites in a great city:

We walked about 6 hours a day, and often traveled by foot on frozen rivers and canals. I was initially really scared, but after seeing families with strollers and ice skaters on there, I had to try it out.

Is there an old city anywhere where you can't find a stunning church? This one, with chandeliers, pure white walls, and everything hand carved, really struck me.

And sometimes you find streets that are exactly how you imagined a place to be:

Of course, Mr. Jones was busy exploring his own places of interest. Luckily he didn't come out with much!

I found two items I couldn't live without in this city, though Copenhagen is not for the faint of wallet. I think we said "This costs HOW MUCH?!" about 50 times a day. Still, it's an amazing city with stunning architecture, a great sense of environmentalism, incredibly bilingual people, and the most stylish natives I have ever seen. Great Danes, indeed.

Baby Knits: in Use!

As many of you know, some of my favorite things to knit are baby clothes. I'll tell you why, lest you accuse me of being, well, broody, as they say here in England. Baby clothes are quick knits, the construction of the patterns are often really inventive, and most of them are made with 4ply yarn, which populates most of my stash. Besides that, giving baby clothes is immensely pleasurable, and grateful parents often provide you with photos of the most adorable models in the world. That is the single best thing about it. Here are some post-Christmas photos I received of knits I made last year:

Poppy in her Cable Button Sweater

Enna Rae in her Orange Onesy

Summer in her Heart Yoke Cardigan

Willow in her Party Cardigan

You'd think by reading their names that I was friends with a bunch of hippies (haha!). But seriously, now that these babies are a few months older, I feel like starting another whole round of knitting for them. I don't mind that they outgrow the knits, if they look this cute wearing them. More baby knits to come!

Back in Bristol

I'm back in Bristol, enjoying new sights and old friends. I hope the start of your week is as charming!

The Bread Diaries

I've made some progress with the bread. Besides making the no-kneed artisan bread, I wanted to try kneeding, to make a traditional loaf for everyday use. I tried a Nigella recipe, then one straight from the bread flour bag. Both were a disaster, due the first and second rise being completely off. Then I realized...I was using the wrong yeast!

Mine was not fast-acting. It needed to be mixed with other things and set. So I bought some packets of the other stuff, and now I'm off and running! This is a loaf straight from a malted bread flour bag. It rose the best yet, and tasted delicious. Next up, I'm going to try to make this bread, which I read had a great results. I'm trying to deny that milk and honey in my bread freaks me out. I buy bread with these things, so I don't know what my problem is. Still, I am a recovering vegan and the idea of bread with only flour, yeast, and salt keeps me calmer. I'll let you know the results!

Sandi's Quilt

Maybe you remember that I made cupcakes to remember my childhood dog Sandi, who died of complications related to eating too many sugary foods. Here she is in her better days, catching bubbles I would blow her way, when I was little.
Well, maybe not a lot of you know that Sandi Klein had her own quilt. She won it herself! Many many years ago, we went to the Church Bazaar (we used to call it the Bizarre Bazaar) and the Church Quilters were having a raffle for charity. $.25 a chance, or 5 chances for a dollar, to win a handmade quilt. My dad gave them a dollar and put the four names of our family members into the draw, plus one for Sandi. Guess who won?

I destinctly remember answering the telephone as a child, when someone on the other end said "Hello, is Sandi Klein there?" "Yes," I said, staring at her standing below me. There was a long pause. "Can I speak to her, please?" said the Church Lady. "You can," I said, "but she probably won't talk back". Eventually we sorted it all out, and went to collect Sandi's prize.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to make my first quilt. My mom is an amzing quilter, and has a cabinet full of them at home. But Sandi's Quilt is special, and now, years after her death, it's being put to good use by her successor. If only Jack could be just as lucky as Sandi!

Winner!

Michelle P. has won the February giveaway: Meg!. Congratulations, Michelle. Thanks so much to everyone who participated. We'll take a month off the giveaways but I'll cook up something exciting for March. Speak to you again tomorrow, friends!