lynnerd handmade

Oh yeah, I'm also a letterpress printer.

2012-01-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

I've been printing since 1999, but for some reason I didn't think it belonged on this blog. I've printed tons of stuff, mostly wedding invitations, and I can't possibly post it all. I can, however, post the calendar pages I've been doing since 2006. I belong to a group of letterpress printers called the Redwood Chappel. (Not religious, that's just what a group of printers is called. It's rather unfortunate these days, like a murder of crows.) Each of the members is assigned a page, we each design and print 400-500 copies, then we get together in October to collate them and talk about how our year went. I'm glad to be a part of it... until recently I've been the only printing female member, and only one of two under age 60 or so.

From top to bottom:

October 2006

November 2007
December 2008
cover 2009
March 2010
April 2011
May 2012
(Sorry about the formatting... this interface drives me batty and I can't get it to look how I would like it to.) You may notice that the most recent page, May 2012, was the inspiration for my Spoonflower tea towel calendar.

Yet another baby quilt...

2012-01-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

I made this quilt for Morgan from a pair of my old corduroys (grey), some blue minky I had in my stash, the flannel bug print I bought as a remnant years ago, and the green and yellow flannel were part of a birthday gift from my friend, Julie. He didn't really need a quilt, but I was inspired by the fabrics. The back was a shot at a giant log cabin, but with only 3 fabrics, it turns out a little weird. Now looking at it, I wish I had done the last vertical strips on the sides in the green, but oh well. I was in "just-get-it-done" mode when I was piecing it together... very improvisational and quick. I quilted it in a spiral, mimicking the butt pocket shape from the pants on the front. The binding is just the back of the quilt wrapped around to the front and sewn down.

Something for me!

2012-01-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

Kathryn got me two balls of fantastic raspberry-colored wool yarn for my birthday. Finally, between Christmas and New Year's Eve, I had a chance to make a hat with it. I found the pattern on ravelry.com, plunked down $5 and started crocheting. It took me one night to complete the cap, and a little over an hour to finish the brim the next day. I put it on and it was too small. Gah! But that's one of the things I love about crochet. It's easy to take out and fix your mistakes. So, I took out 75% of the finished hat, put in another round of increases, and finished the rest of the hat the same way I had done before. This time it fit perfectly. :) I get lots of compliments whenever I wear it, and it's comfortable and warm. Thanks, Kat!

Ava's Christmas gifts.

2012-01-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

Ava is a total ham. She loves being the center of attention, dancing, performing, acting silly. So, here she is showing off one of the gift bags that a Christmas present was in. More importantly, she's wearing all the things I made her for Christmas and some crazy floral tights underneath. (The outfits she comes up with these days are enough to make you reach for some anti-nausea medication.) I crocheted the sweater (it took a few months of working on it every few nights) using the same pattern as I had used for Susannah's first birthday present, just in the larger size. It's a little too big, but that's good. She picked out the colors, and I spiced up the pattern by adding the stripe around the waist and sleeves. The pink stripe is also a different stitch than the purple field. I just had to jazz it up a little. I also went for some huge buttons and then made loops on the opposite edge for a closure.
The skirt is that same old pattern, just jazzed up a little. I was tired when I was cutting the fabric (pink ballerinas, chosen by you-know-who), and I cut it way too short. I was rescued by some funky purple hemming(?) lace that was in my stash... thanks Mom or Grandma!
Lastly is the headband with crocheted flowers. Very much like the one in this earlier post, but made with variegated pink and purple silk. Ava had seen me making those other flowers and asked for a headband of her own.

2012-01-12T21:36:00.000-08:00

Every year Christmas since her birth, I have made a dress or skirt for Ava. I felt like I had to do the same for Morgan, but what? Christmas pants would look like awful golf pants. A Christmas shirt? Too complicated. A vest! I could do that... after all, I made a few for myself back in junior high when that was in fashion. (The early '90s gave us some hideous looks; my vests included.) I whipped out Morgan's vest in a few hours of diligent work. Ava's skirt was quick and easy, especially since I had made that skirt pattern many times before. Unfortunately, I didn't get any really good photos of either kid showing off their Christmas duds.

Christmas gifts for friends

2012-01-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

For my friend, Kathryn, who is an extremely prolific knitter, but kept her needles in a plastic shopping bag, needle cases. I purchased the case for circular needles from Chicken Boots on Etsy. Disclaimer: the woman behind Chicken Boots is a friend of mine, and her work is awesome. I made the straight needle case for Kathryn based on old rolls my mom had for keeping our family's fancy silverware. It's made of Amy Butler cotton on the outside and some fleece from my stash on the inside.

As for the other gifts for friends, I crocheted flowers and attached them to hair elastics, clips and a headband for girls ages 3-1/2 and 5. They were a hit, and when Ava saw me working on them, she requested a headband of her own.

Finally! Christmas 2011!

2012-01-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

I think I started these stockings in December 2010... finished just in time for decorating our house this year. Part of the reason for that was we still hadn't decided on the baby's name! They look great hanging in our living room (even if we don't have a fireplace) and I hope they'll be cherished for a very long time to come. Cutting and stitching all around those letters was time consuming for sure.

Tried knitting again!

2012-01-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

We bought a Phil & Ted's double stroller off craigslist, and took it on 4 flights across the country in early October. It was awesome, but the foam on the handlebar took a beating from the baggage crews. I knew I had a small skein of this funky yarn that had been strangely knit into half of an unknown project years before... so I took that out and started over, knitting a very thin rectangle, which I then sewed onto the handlebar to form a cozy. It works great, keeping hands warm and protecting the ripping foam underneath.

Spoonflower tea towel calendar contest entry

2012-01-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

I created this tea towel calendar for a spoonflower.com contest in November 2011, I think. I know I got some votes, but it didn't make the top 10... there were a lot of entries. I ordered one for myself (it's the size of a fat quarter) and now it's for sale on my spoonflower page.

Halloween 2011

2012-01-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Ava told me in July that she wanted to be a flying unicorn for Halloween. She was so specific and ahead of schedule that I had to honor her request. She knew she wanted a pink head, which I mounted on a baseball cap, purple wings, a blue mane and a green tail. The baby got a store-bought costume. (Sorry, dude, maybe next year.) The head and wings are constructed with craft foam; the same stuff I used to make the butterfly wings two years ago. (http://lynnerdhandmade.blogspot.com/2010/10/butterfly-wings.html)