Crafts

Since people were sick around here,  I've been a bit slow about posting what's been happening.  So here are some recent crafts.  I finished off a new bra, in green gingham, and I'm feeling very pleased with the results.  This is the first bra that I've made that has straps that are really comfortable.

I started making Damien another knitted tie.  It's looking good so far, and I've been surprised by how much I like the colour combination.  (I'm using some left over wool out of my basket.)

I finished some jamies for Irving.  He's very pleased to have some that match Arden's.

Irving picked the red buttons from my stash of vintage buttons.

Arden and I have been working on a block of crafts relating to how people clothe themselves.  He did a small project on our lap loom and made a cape for a teddy bear.  We were also lucky enough to come across WAFTA doing some demonstrations on weaving, book binding and basket making. 

Getting set up.

Shuttles are ready.

Making progress

One completed cape!

Teddy modelling the cape.

Arden and I have moved onto spinning this week, learning to use a drop spindle.

Arden has almost finished his pyjama pants.  He is up to sewing the hems, and we threaded the elastic into the waist band yesterday.

Gabriel finished has handsewing project, and is very happy with his new tie.

Gabriel started using the sewing machine yesterday, generally experimenting with it, and getting a feel for how it works.  He is making a book cover for his first project on the sewing machine.

The start of the book cover.

Pictures- knitting and Cake

Just finished Arden's doll!  He has named her Honey, and she's now happily tucked into bed with him.



Plus I just finished my first hand-knitted dish cloth.  Tried it out this evening, feels so much nicer than using a sponge!




Also I made my self a soaked grain lamington cake with 'body' cream for my  birthday cake.  It's the first time in many years that I've had a lamington cake, and the raw cream in it was delicious.

Recent Activities

Well we've mostly finished our organised school work for the year, which is just lovely, though Willow has a couple of things to finish off with Damien.

This week has seen us doing another woodworking project, making a stool, with Greg Miller.  It was a lot of fun, though rather a long day.  Our teacher, hadn't done the project with a larger group before and we ran a lot over time......I ended up spending almost 7hrs on mine, and Gabriel and Willow spent less time.

This is Gabriel's bench/ foot stall.   His is designed to use whilst practising his guitar.

Normally Gabriel loves doing woodwork, and certainly by the end of the end of the project he was doing very well with it, but he got overwhelmed initially with some of Greg's explanations about angles and measuring during his demonstration, and it took him a little while to recover from getting confused.  (Gabriel hasn't yet done that sort of geometry.)

Willow's bench will be used in her bedroom.  Both Willow's and mine involved legs on 10degree angles, which made them slightly trickier to put together.

My bench is currently being used for my laptop.

And finally whilst we were out today, Arden got to do some woodwork with Damien.  He did lots of hammering to make a mini wooden boat.  The nails sticking out sideways are apparently jets of water.

Willow has finished off all her chemistry experiments this week, and she seems to have generally enjoyed it.  These pictures are from making solutions of salt and sugar, and leaving them to crystallise.

Sugar crystals

 

Salt Crystals

Gabriel got an introduction to Pythagoras this week, with some sketching of his thereom.

This week also saw us having our homeschool review, so that's done for another 12months.  It's always interesting to look back over the year, and see what we've done, but it's also nice just to get through the process and know that we're all good for next year.

Knitting and Thinking

This is great reading, on the importance of knitting and crafts in Steiner schools.

https://new.pyrites.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Knitting-begets-thinking.pdf

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2025

All four of my children can knit- with Irving still in the process of developing more advanced skills.  Willow had enjoyed it the most, and done the most knitting.  But the main reason that I like having everyone being able to knit, is that they have the skills to deal with minor issues in knitted clothing.  The deskilling of society into consumers instead of creators has been extremely sad IMO, and has created enormous waste.  

I was part of the generation that lost those skills that those before me had- my mum could sew and knit well, my Dad could do exceptional woodwork and had great handyman and problem solving skills.  I did learn a bunch of these from my Dad, but as we started to homeschool I was aware just how many skills I had not received to enable me to pass them down easily.  I am really grateful to say that we have reclaimed some of them.

Willow's sock knitting

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2011/03/summer-coming-to-end.html

Gabriel learning to knit.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2008/07/activities.html

Gabriel's socks.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014.html

Arden learning to knit.
https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2014/05/projects.html

Arden's socks.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2020/09/term-2-lockdown-and-winter-solstice.html

Willow's Horse

Here's a picture of Willow's horse.



It's almost finished - will be exciting to see it finished next week. It's just awaiting the final embellishments- eyes and ears.

Summer coming to an end

What a busy, busy time we've been having! I love this time of the year in Adelaide- there are so many wonderful things happening. We were out and about most of last week, and it's been nice to find ourselves having a quieter week this one, since we'll be doing school work again next week.

Last week, saw the Fringe parade part 2 happening. We all had lots of fun and the little people particularly attracted people's attention.

We went to three performances this year. As a family we went to see some taiko drummers and a circus act. Then Willow and Gabriel also got to see a ventriloquist. As part of our Fringe wanderings we met a lady called Ally, from Glasgow, who was selling jewellery at the Fringe. Yesterday she kindly came around and taught us to macrame jewellery, so we all have a macrame project happening now.

Gabriel's macrame bracelet


The macrame bracelet I made for Arden

Normally this time of the year, our festival outings end with a visit to Womadelaide, this year whilst we are going to Womadelaide on Saturday, the Come Out festival is happening at the end of March. Willow will be participating in the performace on Stari Most, which she is very excited about. After her performance in the opera last year, she has been looking forward to singing and performing some more.

Finally there were a few things I wanted the kids to complete before we start our school stuff next week. Gabriel has been finishing off some reading, and Willow has done well to finish her second sock. It was especially nice to see it done, as we had to unravel quite a bit of it a couple of weeks ago, after we realised that she had miscounted some stitches. She had made her sock very wide! But now they are finished and look beautiful!

Spring and Frogs

Well Spring is definately here, and the weather is warmer, and since we had a real winter this year (cold and rainy) there are allsorts of beautiful flowers around that I haven't seen for the last two Springs.

These beautiful Snowdrops have been a lovely surprise, adjacent to the creek in the Parklands.I didn't know Snowdrops til we lived in Scotland, so it was a lovely surprise to see them. So now we've been singing the Snowdrop song for Springtime....it didn't seem at all appropriate to do it the last two Springs, as there were no Snowdrops near us, they were only in the hills where it's colder.

Also a couple of weekends ago we headed to the hills and visited our nearest Steiner children's shop- Head, Heart and Hands for the kids to have a craft session there with the lovely Luci. The workshop was for The Frog Prince, which we read first, so Willow and Gabriel would be familiar with it. I must admit I liked the ending when the Prince's assistant's bonds around his heart are free. It very much resonated with me, and a feeling of opening the heart! And how so many people need to do that after grieving, but unlike his assistant they keep their bonds. It's quite an inspiring story.

The kids made lovely puppets, and really enjoyed the session.