phila*craft

a ceramic bangle by Harmony Thompson that I picked up at the Fair



...and it says "harmony" on the inside.

for gifted crafters (among other VIPs)


Elio showing off his 1GIRL 1BOY owl print shirt. The owl is printed on pieced ultrasuede (very tummy rubbable). Each of the images is a separate lino-block print. The artists had the tall ship block in their display for the Fair--inspiring. Here's the etsy shop link.

small ceramic vessels by Nicole Batchelor


I picked these up at the Fair and I'm not sure what their destiny may be. A mobile? Each is about as big as my thumb. The potter imagined them as places to put little things we pick up outdoors like pebbles and shells and sea glass.

two more for the wall


The "i heart autumn day and night" set by Jenifer Altman arrived today from her Fieryeyed Photography etsy shop.

a fellow parent to whom I said just a minute before the drawing, "Hey, Nancy, I was good luck for you at the May Fair when you won that yarn and book."

Thanks to everyone who bought tickets, wrote poetry, and/or loves the color blue.

small embroidered motifs










A fellow parent made child-sized aprons some of which I embellished with these designs. You will recognize the bird if you have this excellent book. The aprons and lots of items handmade by parents will be available at the Waldorf School of Philadelphia Holiday Fair taking place this weekend. I can't stop to blog the felted stocking kits I'm putting together with plant-dyed yarn or the Robin Hood Hats in red felt (so I guess that would make them Will Scarlet hats). If you're local and planning to visit the Fair, please find me in the café from 12-3 and forgive me if I have to dash off to make sure the couscous isn't overswelling.

newly acquired


Following a lead at decor8, I headed over to Jennifer Causey's etsy shop Simply Photo and found these prints. A big idea for the big wall I've left blank since we moved into our house four years ago is taking shape.

a hat


PATTERN: Tante Sophie's Diezel Seedie Ribbie Beanie (say it ten times fast)
YARN: Ornaghi Filati Cardigan Superwash (from the Mesozoic Era of the stash)
MODIFICATIONS: I tweaked to suit the yarn I substituted for the called-for Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted.

It is on its way to Kelli Ann for an ATSA event. Bon voyage, mon chapeau!

Bruno's lantern


He designed the mushroom on the side himself.

Our school's lantern walk takes place on the big field of our campus. The talented students of the upper grades and a handful of generous and gifted teachers line a path winding over the field with luminarias (luminariae); as revelers walk along the path they stop to view short tableaus (tableaux) like two women carding and spinning wool or two shepherds playing recorder to a small flock. Last night's was amazing. Briar-rose was there.

The lantern you won't see was made out of candy. I used Jacques Torres' recipe with grated lemon and orange rind for flavoring. When the candy came to temperature, I poured it out onto greased parchment and waited until it was cool enough to handle but still pliable. I greased a bottle and then wrapped the candy around it and used kitchen scissors to even out the top. It was very pleasing in a "you can even eat the dishes" kind of way on Bruno's birthday cake last night. Sorry I'm not a good enough blogger (or mother for that matter) to have gotten a photo of the spectacle for your enjoyment (or Bruno's scrapbook).

To those of you who purchased raffle tickets and were curious about how that works online: Friday I helped make a spreadsheet of your names and email addresses that will be merged with the ticket document so paper tickets can go into the drawing box. Thank you very much and good luck. And if you didn't buy tickets because the $10 button wasn't working, I'm told it's up and running now. (The link's at the top of the sidebar.) The drawing is on Saturday, November 17th.

Bohus boiled


These mittens from Wendy Keele's Poems of Color (scroll down) met their destiny in the washer a few years ago when I forgot them in a jacket pocket. At least they're warmer and now just the right size for Bruno for whom I pulled them out of the accessories bag this first truly chilly morning.

Thanks to Sweet Figs and Stagecoach Yarns for the visual encouragement to get to my Kimmet Croft Fibers "The Dean" hat kit out of the stash.

ink and aquarelle cards



It's time for the third annual pre-lantern walk birthday party for Bruno. I drew lanterns and branches in Noodler's Ink Lexington Gray with my Lamy Safari fountain pen and Bruno wet the paper and colored in the branches and lanterns with watercolor pencils. Placed together, the cards write out the words to our favorite lantern walk song. The birthday cake will be the usual One-Bowl Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.