Winter is definitely here and this week it's been making its presence known with a shout, rather than a whisper. While I detest getting out of bed in the mornings when it's so cold, and easily tire of lighting the fire and emptying out the ember tray beneath it, one thing I do love about winter is that it gives us a chance to honour our hand-crafted belongings so much more. Suddenly those hand-knits are taking pride of place on the coat-rack and i've never been so grateful for the hand-spun, hand-crocheted blanket on our bed. I thought i'd show you my favourite winter-y handmade things that are keeping us warm at the moment:
My queen-sized quilt, made for Tom and I by my mother, when Arlo was born. Mum is a prolific and very skilled quilter, who likes to experiment with lots of different styles and techniques in her work. I think she did well in this quilt because Tom likes it! He's not usually a fan of traditional quilting. This is made from lots of different green fabrics, and it's a bit like sleeping amongst the flowers and bushes in a garden. I think she found a design in a Kaffe Fassett quilt book that looked like a lush, dense garden, and based hers on that. Sadly, I've let the colours on this quilt fade quite a bit, because I insist it's always on our bed (and here in NZ our sunlight is particularly harsh... so I should have known better!)I still love it just as much though.
This angora home-spun blanket in browns and creams that I found at a second-hand market for just $10. A woman said that her Mum was a prolific spinner and crocheter, and she had lots more like this one at home. I fell in love with this as soon as I laid eyes on it. It's been hand-crocheted and finished with a wide, cream satin ribbon. I love that it's quite luxurious but home-made looking at the same time.
And lastly: these fingerless gloves, also hand-spun and knitted by my Mum. (I like to think of the colours as being an 'earthy rainbow.') I think she found the pattern from this Interweave Knits magazine. (Oh, how I love that magazine!) I'm hoping to try it out too this winter, to make some for friends. They're so cosy, and practical, too!
Okay, must get back to my knitting!
