Wind Caves

A few weeks ago, when Spring began to show it's gorgeous head, we traveled into the canyon for a family hike. It was still sweatshirt weather and snow capped the tippy tops of the mountains, but it was deliriously wonderful to get outside and breathe the fresh air before the snow fell upon us again.

Wookie climbed almost the entire way up on her own. It was a 2 mile hike (one way), with an elevation gain of 980 feet, no small feet for toddler legs (or adult legs for that matter). Initially, the trail ran alongside the road with a spectacular drop off that set fear into my mother's heart, but shortly veered into the mountain creating multiple switchbacks, a few of which were slick with oozy mud shadowed by the mountain. Once we reached the caves we learned first hand how they received their name as the wind was enough to rock us just a bit. The beginning photo shows the twin caves. The views were amazing: the river snaked it's way through the canyon, carving a path between the mountains; the sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy, and the breeze refreshed our spirits. 

When through the woods and forest glades I wander / I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; / When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze / Then sings my soul

- How Great Thou Art

Confession

In the last four weeks, I have picked up my crochet hook exactly once. The sewing machine hasn't been turned on, and the fabric for my husband's quilt lies carefully folded in my craft box waiting for me to have enough time (and energy) to pull it out and begin embroidery work again. Sharp needles and infants don't exactly mix well, and currently I'd much rather snuggle the infant.

What have I been up to then? 

Snuggling baby boy, teaching the oldest her lessons, washing dishes, cleaning dirt off floors and faces, building a railroad with the rascals, reading countless renditions of "We're going on a bear hunt," gathering various sticks and pinecones, listening to loud renditions of cops and robbers, dreaming aloud with my husband, folding laundry, picking up toys, remembering College Algebra (no easy task), changing umpteen diapers, sweeping the kitchen, drinking in our early spring, and cherishing this most precious time.

Please bear with me as I reevaluate (yet again) what this space is to be used for. My intention is still to craft though with four children under eight it won't be as often as originally planned. Perhaps delving into my real, messy, haphazard, wonderful life is better suited to the current situation. 

Woolly Cowl

Over the summer at our local farmer's market, a family owned and operated sheep farm sold a skein of natural wool (and a 2 lb shoulder roast consumed for Christmas) to an ever-growing family. With some slight manipulation that skein of yarn turned into a warm, woolly cowl.

Without following a particular pattern, I really just eye-balled the size, measured against my own neck, until it seemed like the right fit. I worked double crochets in the round for 9 rows. No television show to gage a time frame, just me and my oldest hooking along in bed during a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Spring scarf

Yes, yes, a spring scarf for Christmas. The recipient is somewhat of a scarf aficionado and owns several (and that's putting it mildly) so I wanted to create something that was more unique and unlike what she already owned, hence a Spring scarf for winter.

This scarf is quite ridiculously long as I got a bit carried away with the chain at the beginning and did approximately 216 (if not more). It was quite fun to make, as it follows a similar rhythm to the ripple blanket, and only took a few episodes of Psych to whip together. I love the wavy texture and the bright yellow color. I think that during the dark days of winter it'll be a beacon of what's to come: Spring! 

Fox cup cozy

Now that Christmas has passed and we've rung in the festivities of the New Year, I can share a few of the items that I made for gifts. I kept it fairly small and simple seeing as I'm currently growing a human and raising several others. Starting with this Fox cup cozy:

Using hardly any yarn, and very little time, the project took a total of two episodes of Sledgehammer to complete, including the base and assembly. The adorable pattern can be found here. I followed the pattern exactly, but seeing as I don't drink coffee and don't have any fancy cups to try it out on I just guess that the sizing width work. Making this foxy cozy gave me an excuse to bring back into my family's (and now your) lives the greatest song of 2013.

Happiness for 2015

Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light - Albus Dumbledore

We determine our own happiness, individually I mean. My husband can't make me happy. My children can't make me happy. I need to make me happy. Over the course of this year, I read (and listened to, thanks Audible) Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project and Happier at Home. (You can find my review of the first book here and podcast show notes for the second near the bottom of the page.) Rubin uses a straightforward tone, as expected from a former lawyer, to reassure and inspire that her happiness project is feasible to all who wish to partake. She outlines what works for her and gives loads of useful and practical suggestions for accomplishing goals and becoming happier overall. She maintains that this project should be tailored to the individual by understanding what actually makes you happy and unhappy.

My own happiness project for 2015 is going to look a little bit different than Rubin's because I'm tailoring it to me and I'm not Gretchen Rubin. I've been going back and forth between what to share and not to share in this little space of mine, and for now I'll stick to crafting and develop Rose & Toast in that direction. Starting a blog leaves so much open not only for criticism but also for community, and since I am in fact a three-dimensional character (or in other words a human being) I have more likes and dislikes than yarn, fabric, and floss. However, I want to develop this creative area of my life (for my own personal happiness as well as possibly my family's) and hope that I have something to contribute to the crafting world at large. My hope is that you'll join me on this journey as I muddle my way through.

Quick recap of 2014:

I started the blog in September. Woohoo! Since I started quite a bit later in the year a few projects didn't get documented and I don't have photo documentation so you're going to just have to take my word that they did in fact get completed.

- 3 crochet blankets 

Daisy | Baby Ripple | Granny Square 

R2D2 Halloween costume 

- 4 quilts 

Wee Wander (x 2) | Rocket man | Stars

Car seat cover (using the fabric featured above) 

I also made several hats including Captain America themed, Alabama, Jayne Cobb x 2, Mickey Mouse x 2, and various other knick-knacks. 

Now as we ring in the glorious New Year, I plan on being much more diligent about documenting projects in all their various stages. I hope you all had a fantastic 2014, and here's to an even brighter, happier 2015! 

St. Lucia's

Several generations ago, Husband's family immigrated from Sweden. We are lucky enough to have his fourth Great-grandfather's autobiography/journal that details his trip from the family farm in Sweden to his schooling in Denmark and then onto work in the United States. This year I wanted to focus more on traditions than presents and our Swedish family heritage seemed like a wonderful place to start.

The sentiment of St. Lucia's day is a magical one, filled with goodness, light, and charity, perfect for heralding in the joy of Christmas. Lucia (meaning light) was a Christian woman condemned to death for refusing a Pagan husband, before her martyrdom she also donated all her money to feed the poor, or so the legend says. In Scandinavian culture, St. Lucia's Day is celebrated on the 13th of December, the original Winter Solstice, with the oldest daughter dressing up as Lucia, in a white dress for purity, a red sash for martyrdom, an evergreen crown topped with candles. Typically, she rises before the rest of the family and serves bread and coffee.

We mixed it up a little to fit what we were actually capable of doing but still keeping to the tradition. The girls made paper crowns after the fashion of the evergreen wreath by gluing holly leaves and red berries to a construction paper band. They made star sugar cookies to deliver to our neighbors and sang carols instead of the usually Sanka Lucia hymn, which I'm hoping to learn for next year. For dinner, we ate the traditional Julbord with roast beef, cheese, bread and butter, pickles, and the left over sugar cookies, which aren't exactly traditional but they are delicious.