Monday musings

Mondays, especially cloudy ones, are only good for one thing... Knitting brilliant shades of reds for a custom mitten and hat set. Teeny tiny two year old mittens are the sweetest things to knit, wouldn't you agree!

~Have a wonderful week~

***

We've consulted the Random generator and the winner of this weekend's giveaway is.... 

Brady Desimone!  Please contact me at sittingtree@frontier.com to claim your prize.

Thank you so much to Jaime at The Backporch Boutique and to all who participated!

Handmade for the Holidays: Gift Guide

*Handmade for the Holidays: Gift Guide*

~Search hemp on Etsy to find a wide variety of gifts for the whole family~

~Happy Shopping~

And don't forget to stop over to the Handmade for the Holidays: Giveaway! 

Handmade for the Holidays: Giveaway

*Handmade for the Holidays: Giveaway*

For this week's giveaway, I'm honored and grateful to introduce to you, The Backporch Boutique

In Jaime's own words, My main focus is Eco Friendly, sustainable clothing. My focus on Mother Earth does not stop at The BackPorch Boutique, we are a very environmentally conscious family and  BELIEVE in Mother Earth and all she has to offer.  We do our part to take care/give back to the earth, and not take it for granted. I love that I can spread the word, and help people BE GREEN just by buying a piece of eco friendly Hemp clothing from my business!

The Backporch Boutique is graciously offering readers her Lil' Pumpkin Hemp Bloomers 

(size 2t/3t depending if you want them to be pants or capri's.)

You can enter to win by leaving a comment below.  Gain additional entries in the following ways, but remember to leave an additional comment for each entry.
* Head over to The Backporch Boutique and let me know your favorite item
* Add The Sitting Tree to your blog roll, if you haven't already
* Become a fan on Facebook
* Mention the giveaway on your blog or Facebook

Comments will be closed Sunday night at 10pm, and the winner will be announced Monday.  Please stop back to claim your prize!

~Thank you so much for supporting independent artists this holiday season ~ Good Luck!

Work basket...

WOW, that weekend turned into a whole week!  It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're not tied to a computer all the time...

Like this magical christmas stocking~

And this toasty hood idea my oldest son designed to combat cold wind and snow down the neck~

Small, soft, sweet, and just the right amount of holiday cheer~

And these, my most favorite of all, upcycled adult patchwork pants made from 100% wool sweaters!  They are amazingly soft and comfy, just as you can imagine.  The temps were 10 below zero when we took this picture and my hubby said his legs were perfectly comfortable~

I'll be listing these in my shop all weekend, along with a few other goodies.  What have you been working on this week?

Takin' off...

I'm taking the weekend off, just because I can...  See you back here on Monday!  

Free Knitting or Crochet Pattern Tutorial: Coffee Cozy

Every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday mornings, my girlfriends and I gather together at the coffee shop and knit, and talk, and laugh, and cry, and knit some more.  Some of us are happy just to watch, while some of us knit row after row of perfectly executed garter stitch, and some of us are just a wee bit obsessed.
   

The magic of our needles and camaraderie brings an ever changing blend of men, women, grandparents and  children to the large round table; watching in awe or sharing stories.  I have come to appreciate each and every person who has passed through our group, and have come to depend on this profound connection we've created with each other.

Today, the tone at the table grew to sheer panic!  We were all completely shocked and surprised about how there's only a month until Christmas and no one has started their handmade gifts. (Yes, we do this panic thing every year.  You'd think we'd get a clue.) 

I also know that we are not the only ones panicking, so I have a gift for you...  a really easy, quick gift to make; Coffee Cozies.  They are so fast and easy, fit just about any size cup, and I bet you could make enough for all your family & friends in one weekend!  Better yet, grab a bunch of your favorite knitting (or crocheting) friends and spend the afternoon together cranking them out!

*KNIT Version*
Materials: 40g of worsted weight or chunky wool yarn, Size 8 needles, 2 buttons, needle for darning in ends.
Finished Measurements: 4" wide X 10" long

With two strands of worsted weight yarn or one strand of chunky weight yarn, CO 18 and knit in garter stitch for 9"
K2, BO 3, K7, BO 3, K1
K2, CO 3, K7, CO 3, K2
Knit 4 more rows of garter stitch and BO loosely
Darn in ends, sew on your buttons and you're ready for a refill~

*CROCHET Version*
Materials:  30g. of worsted weight or chunky wool yarn, Size I crochet hook, 2 buttons, needle for darning in ends
Size I crochet hook
Finished Measurements: 4" wide x 10" long

With two strands of worsted weight yarn or one strand of chunky weight yarn, chain 15 and turn.
Single crochet in second chain from hook.  *Single crochet across. Chain 1. Turn.  Repeat from * for 9"
On last row, single crochet 3.  Chain 5. Single crochet to last 4 stitches.  Chain 5.  Single crochet to end.  Turn.
To finish it off, single crochet in each stitch and bind off. (I skipped the stitch before and after each chain so that it doesn't bulge)
Darn in ends, sew on your buttons, and get yourself a cup of tea~


~ I'd love to see pics of your coffee house cozy adventures ~


*Please forgive me if I've made any mistakes in the patterns.  I wrote them up at 3:30 in the morning a few nights ago;)

Wanted: Foxy Hat Pattern Testers

Calling all knitters...  I've finished all of the children's sizes for the foxy hat knitting pattern, and need four talented knitters to try out each of the sizes; newborn, baby, toddler, & child.

The catch??  I need them to be kept top secret & completed by next Wednesday, November 24th.  If you're up for the challenge, please contact me at sittingtree@frontier.com and let me know what size you'd like to try.  It will be on a first come, first served basis so don't delay~ (and thanks so much, I really appreciate this!)  If all goes well, I'll have it for sale on Etsy and Ravelry by next Friday!

*UPDATE*
Thank you so much to all my fantastically generous pattern testers!  The hats all turned out perfect and you can now find the pattern for sale on my shop or ravelry!

Here's what some of the top secret testers had to say...

"I just want to mention that never before have I ever done a gauge where I was *exactly* right on. It was like I wrote the pattern. That made everything super easy, so w00t!!"

"I want to tell you that I am a fan of pointed pixie hats, but my husband believes now that all hats should have ears."

"It's a nifty idea, I've never knit a hat up and over the top.  The measurements worked out great."

Snow & Soap

A seemingly endless supply of giant, heavy snowflakes fell here in Wisconsin over the weekend, and brought with it the frigid air of late fall.  

{The snow was too wet and heavy to take photos, 

but this photo from last winter about sums it up}

On a day such as this, the only thing you can do is bundle the kids up warm, snuggle in, and fill the house with the inviting aromas of handmade soaps... coffee bean and oatmeal, peppermint candy, sandalwood, and bergamot with white tea.  I've decided to make handmade soap and washcloth sets for gifts this holiday season and I also received my first large soap order from the land down under!

I love this time of year when mother nature forces us to slow down a bit and reflect inward on the season ahead of warmth, and home, and love.  

~Have a wonderful week~

Handmade for the Holidays: Gift Guide

~ Give the gift of love, hope, and healing this holiday season by searching haiti relief on Etsy~

Do you have a favorite charity this holiday season?  Give a shout out to your #1 donation destination!!

Handmade for the Holidays: Giveback

This last week my dear friend lost her best friend to cancer.  In her honor, I'm not going to be hosting a giveaway this weekend.  I am, however, asking that you stop by Print for Change, a printing organization that she and her husband started many years ago to raise money for the people of Haiti.  

In their own words...

Print for Change, is a print management company on a mission.

• Supply the very best in printing at competitive rates and donate 50% of profits to provide clean water, food, education and hope to children living in extreme poverty.

• Use our 35+ years of industry expertise to ensure that you receive the best service, the highest quality and the greatest value when you print with Print for Change.

But we want to do more.  We want to be agents of change. People who are not just working for success, but for significance. We want to work with others who believe that making a difference in a child’s life is a worthy cause, has social purpose and will help build a better world. 

No job is too big or too small. We use the right people, the right technology and the right equipment to fulfill your requirements and give to four areas of need in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

*****

I have used them for all my printing needs and can attest that their professional printing work is extremely affordable & top quality!  My business cards are printed in color on both sides on a very heavy card stock and the best part, FREE SHIPPING!

Please take a minute to check out this amazing organization and be an agent for change by giving back this holiday season!

Off~Grid Knitting

The task of trying to find the perfect land for our off~grid homestead can be a bit daunting, so instead of dwelling on what I can't have, yet.... I knit. (While my husband reads me property listings and my sons tell me their dreams of raising chickens and having a hundred barn cats!)

As you can see, I've been knitting a lot (aka. we've visited a lot of disappointing properties in the last month)...

For Jake's sweater, I kettle dyed the wool a handsome charcoal gray and designed a top down pattern with generous ribbing around the cuffs and waist to give it a more youthful appeal.  The only problem I had with this design is the neck ended up a bit wider than I would have liked.  Jake loves a wide neck, but I'll be changing that when I write the pattern up for sale.

He acts all indifferent, but really the sweater hasn't been off in at least five days!  

{I think it may be love.}

And of course I had to design him a slouchy hat to match...

Except, I like the fit so much that I may just keep it for myself!

Luke, feeling left out in the hat department, requested my foxy hat pattern.  He picked out a ball of chunky Cascade Eco Wool I dyed last summer. I wasn't quite sure about the colors, but it suits him perfectly.  After the last end was sewn in, he proceeded to bribe me with a kiss to take his picture (and then instruct me how to take the photo).  Seriously, I can't say no to a kiss!

I'm sure that like everything in life,  all will happen in good time.... but for now, I'll just keep knitting.

What are you working on lately?

Tutorial: How to make bird ornaments from children's paintings

I don't know about you, but we have piles upon piles of watercolor paintings stacking up which no one can bear to part with.  In my psychotic need to get rid of everything in the house this year (except yarn, of course), the boys and I came up with a plan to give new life to all of our stacks of paintings...  Holiday Ornaments!!  Some we'll keep to hang from the windows as a cheerful reminder come February, that the snow can't possibly last forever.  And some we are going to give as gifts to friends and family!  (insert bad pun here).

First, gather up all of your artwork...

Next, print out this bird pattern to what ever size you like...

and cut it out...

Trace out the pattern for the front side, and then flip the pattern over for the back side...

Lastly, glue the front and back together.  Punch a hole in the top and tie on a piece of coordinating hand dyed wool...

Hang or wrap for a gift and enjoy!

How do you preserve your children's art?

Sneak Preview

I am beyond excited to present to you a little sneak preview of what's in store for tomorrow's giant listing~

A little bit of this...

hand dyed yarns

And a wee bit of that...

(It fits Luke)

(and Jake)

(and me!)

And can you say wool sweaters + vintage trim = Love.  I will definitely be making a pair like these again!!

upcycled longies

I hope to be posting these, along with a few surprises, on Etsy tomorrow evening around 7pm or so depending on the weather;)  If it's as beautiful as it was today, it might be more like 9pm!!  Not many 60 degree days left, so we're soaking up as much warmth as we can!

Giveaway Winner...

Drumroll, please.....  And the winner of this week's giveaway is Jen from SewnNatural!  

~Thanks so much to PhriendlyK8's for offering her fabric painting and to everyone who entered.~

Have a wonderful week and don't forget to stop back tomorrow for a sneak preview
of Wednesday's new listings!

Handmade for the Holidays: Gift Guide

~A little splash of red this festive holiday season~

While you're cooking...

and eating your meal...

and trimming the tree...

and reciting a favorite bedtime story.

CreativeChics 

SquidinkKollective 

thespottedsparrow  

thelittlefox

~Happy Shopping~

And don't forget to stop over to the Handmade for the Holidays: Giveaway !

Handmade for the Holidays: Giveaway

❉ Handmade for the Holidays: Giveaway ❉

For this week's giveaway, I'm honored and grateful to introduce to you, Phriendly K8's Threads.

In Katelyn's own words...

"Sewing is a passion. I truely think that every single piece I make is made for a specific person, once that person sees it, they know that it belongs to them."

Phriendly K8's Threads, is graciously offering readers her Chillin' with my Gnomies fabric painting!

~Perfect for a special wee one in your life~

You can enter to win by leaving a comment below!  Gain additional entries in the following ways, but remember to leave an additional comment for each entry. 

*head over to PhriendlyK8's and let me know your favorite item

*add The Sitting Tree to your blog roll, if you haven't already 

*become a fan on facebook, if you haven't already

*mention the giveaway on your blog, or on facebook.  

Comments will be closed Sunday night at 10p.m., and the winner will be announced Monday.  Please stop back to claim your prize!  

~Thank you so much for supporting independent artisans this holiday season~

Good Luck!

Comments Closed.  Thank you so much for your participation and a winner will be announced tomorrow.