Good-bye for this year

I wish to all my readers and especially to the people with whom there is a deeper contact with me via comment, email or personal meeting a wonderful Christmas time and a very Happy New Year.
I will spent those special weeks down at the very most south-western point of Europe hopefully in the so much needed sun. My days will be filled with climbing, walking on the beaches and in the hills and discovering some of the Andalusian attractions. Hopefully the last will include fabric, special yarn and other craft shops. The nights will be long. Depending on where I will spent them its either time to curl up in my cozy sleeping bag for a lot of reading (if I don't fall asleep) or knitting on a Christmas present. I also take with me a little hand sewing project.



This year my presents were all packed in little modular origami boxes. The pattern is from Tomoko Fuse. Every once in a while my brain wants to solve the riddles of origami patterns and my fingers itch to touch and fold paper.



I filled up the boxes with Roibush Tea and dark chocolade plus something extra depending on the person. Essence for the oil burner, very good soap from France, a tiny knitted swatch as a teaser for fingerless gloves made of Hundertwasser yarn, one Svarowsky bead as a teaser for a bead-ball.



I love the paper from the background. It was the wrapping paper of a present a friend of mine got - and he was throwing it away!!!!



My mother got her box with a matching bouquet of different white flowers.

Again, have a good time, stay or become healthy!

May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.

This is what my 4th-graders crafted this year for Christmas

poinsettia stars in wood-working class




English poems written on white paper, sewed together with a cover of thick yellow cardboard and an inlay of opac transparent paper in english/art-lesson, embellished with some beads *of course ;-)*

simple window decoration worked with same opal transparent paper


Without photo are the 3-dimensional star pendants made in geometry class, learing to construct triangles with compass and ruler.

Springshawlsurprise

Via Ravelry I found Springshawlsurprise, which is a 3-month-long knitting project. Each week Lul, a danish lady, will sent one part of a very tangy lace pattern. Even some - and I do hope it will be just "some" - backrows will have a pattern.
I registered, well knowing that I might have taken my mouth too full. My idea of knitting away the dark grey time and adding each day a little piece of spring to my life was very tempting so I registered. I also like the international charme that goes with this project.

Now I can't make up my mind about the yarn. I'm in the very lucky position to have the Hamburger Wollfabrik near by. The normal yarnshops don't sell yarn with the required length of 800 m per 100 gr. At least not the one I know. I would have loved to use Zephyr, which many of the participants will take, because I love the colors from their charts.

I went to the Hamburger Wollfabrik 3 times (!) to pick up bits of yarn for swatches. In merino quality there are hundreds of the most beautiful colors to choose from, but the stitches don't turn out as nice as from the other qualitys. On the other hand I didn't fall for any of the many cashmere/silk colors. Although the feeling of cashmere in my hands for manymany days is appealing.

Today I showed all swatches "live" to some people. During the discussions the choices got narrowed down a bit, but I'm still not so very sure.
Please look for yourself.
Any argument is welcome!

50% cashmere 50% silk very light blue


100 % merino lighter greenish


cashmere / silk / merino /viscose mix


50% cashmere 50% silk white with touches of grey/violet


100% merino darker greenish

This is what my students sew for Christmas this year

In our school the students (and I) are happy that there are still lesson in practical things, we call it "Technik". Working with wood, cooking, computer and sewing - each for half a year. I teach sewing and Computer and could teach wood. It's such a shame that those topics get cancelled due to the panic that students are not learning enough any more in the "core" disciplines. That is true, but for sure has a lot to do with the general ambience and the society. In my humble opinion being able to tie a knot definitely is a core discipline - and one that not all my 6th-graders succeed in, when they come into my class.

Anyway, I should mostly teach sewing on machines, but we enjoy very much the hand sewing. In winter time it is of course a Christmas theme and for the summer term Mother's Day or flowers.

This year I have some very creative students who enjoy my ever growing stash of beads and take profit of my ever growing experience teaching this subject in a very busy school life.



Usually we sew felt together with one or the other stich and stuff the star with batting. This year those students were so much into beading that we decided to leave out the stuffing part, because it would put too much stress on their fragile work. Their beading is not perfect = not so very stable, but very pretty. It is such a joy to watch those who really discover something new for them. (Of course there are also students who don't like this subject or just parts of it and just work for the grade.)
To my great pleasure one of my favorite blogs recently gave the perfect tutorial for beaded and stuffed stars.

The very last pictures shows part of my tiny little crowded textile room (but at least I have one!) with the left-over of stuffed stars from last years course hanging on the window.
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Maybe you've found an idea for yourself. Those little pouches are nice to use for putting a small gift into them.
The stars would make present tags, window decoration, Christmas tree decoration; they could be hanging on a long string from the ceiling or being used for a Christmas mobile.