the pot spills over, plus a giveaway

I have written three unposted posts this week about various things on my mind: the act of surrendering and how only in the feminine sense it is seen in a positive light and how I am constantly contriving to surrender to the days and moments and find the joy in what is rather than fight against the tide (oh, in that way in which you can fall into thinking that a day is not complete without outdoor time, crafts, reading, play etc etc and pushing unsuccessfully to create these things rather than letting what happens just happen). There's the knitting and crafting I have been occupied with (hats, hats, recycled woolen vests, hats and a cardigan, Christmas gifts), how I like to clean and tidy my home and create that free flowing good energy from doing so (although the day to day, over and over picking-up can sweep away that frame of mind some what...) and lastly more food and immune functioning thoughts (mainly how I am taking a colostrum supplement and finding that despite being dairy free it's working for me).

This is a mix of all three since I never had the time to finish any of those posts and I don't much like going back rehashing and reshaping.









This morning we were up early so went for an early walk in the nippy air. Look what happened to the boys!

They had a trip to the Barbers in town.

Nits. Quite honestly was the cause and our battle with them (lengthy and full of woe). So for now with short hair they are gone and the hair is free to grow back; lice-free is my great hope.





I have been hat making again. It's kind of ridiculous. I could keep an army of people in hats. We have a basket load and yet I still make them, more and more, like the magic porridge pot that no one knows how to stop - I just keep making more and more hats... It is something I willingly indulge in over and over and then feel very silly over and over about and then spot another merino sweater in a charity shop (more pixie hats) or find a lovely ball of wool which would be perfect for this or that hat and so the pot spills over. Esmé could have a different piece of merino or cashmere covering her head every day of the week and still have a rainbow of choice to pick from later. Not that she cares, she'd wear the cat on her head if it obliged.









I found this local company that finds old wool clothing and then turns them into something new, 're-purposing' (what a new and popular blog word, it's everywhere, but fitting). I decided that with my mountain of thrifted wool finds and snatched no longer worn items from around here that I could probably fashion a whole wardrobe for my kids.... if only I had an over-locker. Is that the name of the machine? Don't know but I need one. But of course would buying one outweigh the cost of clothing I *could* have bought if I had not? Hmmmm. It's a tricky one. I'll have an ebay scan. My sewing machine does a poor job of some fashion of over lock stitch and it looks like I did it by hand (rather badly) in the dark, like someone doing touch type blind folded who doesn't know how.

I decided to make my niece a princess and pea doll and set complete with quilts blankets and felted pea for Christmas, but haven't found the creative surge for that just yet so I have been knitting. I decided to knit myself something and set about making the lovely Shalom Sweater. Only to find I had to frog it twice (what is with those instructions? Or is it me...) and so pulled it all off is despair and cast on a soothingly easy seed stitch cardigan for Esmé. Quicker, and easier and much more satisfying. And the hats? Oh yeah. Felix dropped Esme's hat some where when we were out (he is not a boy who can be expected to be given something and for him to still have it ten minutes later, unless it's an ice cream... actually no, that would certainly be gone within ten minutes). So I had to knit another for her. Then I knit one for a babe not born from the soft yarn I dyed earlier in the year (see little turquoise one above - all three trusty Little Turtle Knits pilot hats).





Food? Supplements? Cutting it short -



An easy one: the chooks and lovin each other; I feed them and they fed me, simple.

Oh! The giveaway! nearly forgot. If you'd like one of the above purple-lilac pure merino pixie hats (with the little felt love heart) then just post a comment and I'll pick one from a hat later in the week! See, so many hats here I need to give one away! Good for the soul in any case.....

If you want to make one of these easy hats then there's a link in the right side bar. Or here.

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The Winner! Picked by The Beauty: Earthenwitch

Please email me your postal details and I'll mail the hat off to you on my next trip into town :)

claire dot ashbourne at google mail dot com
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