Keep Calm . . . Craft On: Entertaining Fairies Edition

Joining Nicole today at Frontier Dreams

Some weeks ago, I had a few over ripe bananas and decided to make some banana bread.  Apparently, Coco has a book which states that fairies love banana bread.  Who knew?  I, of course, wanted to add walnuts, and Coco wasn't so sure the fairies like banana nut bread.  Ultimately, we agreed that she could just leave some of the bread without the nuts in it for them to eat.  And so she did.

Inside the toadstool house I made for her 2 years ago and which has hardly seen any play. Here she is on Christmas Day 2010 after having received it:

As you can see, it has begun to slouch with age.  She decided that the fairies needed more of a compound (apologies for the horrible indoor lighting):

And she also leaves the fairies notes.  In one, she asked how many fairies was she taking care of?  They responded 19.  Well, I overshot on that one and she decided they needed a much larger abode.  So, she went to the basement and hauled out the retired dollhouse, a relic from Christmas 2009 which saw little love.  However, now, it has been updated with milk paint to please the fairies!:

The fairies have also been eating well, as in addition to banana bread, they also enjoy biscuits and berries.  Two things which can usually be found in our home.  A few weekends ago, I had the bright idea to make fairy biscuits by using a straw to cut them from the dough.  File this one under #whydoIdothistomyself:

 Cutting out the biscuits.

Team work!

Almost ready for the oven.

Now, if we could just have this level of attentiveness to other activities!

Ta da!

Served!

Berries for the fairies.  Notice the plates are on placemats Coco made for them.

Lastly, my birthday was last week.  My thoughtful daughter asked the fairies to make something for me for my birthday.  I, however, was not allowed to read this note . . . and Coco can't really read and write well enough to pull this off on her own.  But she tried.  She asked me how to spell each word, but wouldn't tell me what she was doing.  I was not looking forward to my birthday at.all.  And was dreading having to come up with a gift for myself.  But the day was saved when I received my general counsel's season ticket seats to the White Sox game, on my birthday, which are the first row behind the dugout and the game started at 1:10.  So, I got to leave early, the weather was great and I enjoyed the afternoon with my kiddos and good friend, Jacki.  And then Coco forgot to leave the note until the night of my actual birthday.  And this is what the fairies made for me:

A flower, so that I always have one when I am out of fresh ones.

Coco's therapist has said that the fairies are very therapeutic for her.  That is why I write and answer her notes and create and help her create for them.

And lastly, here is my sweet girl with yarn purchased this weekend at Chicago's own YarnCon.  Her selection is 100% Blue Faced Leicester.  Yikes, she has expensive taste just like her mama! She has started some mittens for herself.  Which, sadly, she will probably still need in Chicago's spring weather!

What are you working on?

Keep Calm . . . Craft On

Joining Nicole at Frontier Dreams

Oh, it has been a long time since I have visited this space. But that does not mean I have not been crafting. Just not writing about it. My knitting is such a source of relaxation for me. And it invigorates me. If I start knitting late at night, I will often get a second wind as the peace of creating begins to wash over me. Last week I finished two things but only have a picture of one. I finished the Greyson sweater for my most knit-worthy recipient: Mr. Manny-Man. It is his birthday and Easter sweater and he proudly wore it for both. That boy really knows how to melt my heart and he is just 4.  I also finally finished his birthday crown . . . three years late, but it's done. But the darn fairies got the credit. I won't lie, part of the satisfaction I get from creating is the acknowledgement that I made it! More on the fairies later, because they surely deserve their own post, but suffice it to say, the night before Gian's birthday party, Coco dictated a note asking the fairies to leave a birthday present for her brother.  That request surely could not go unanswered. So, even though I had already been up all night trying to get the house together for the party, at 5 am I found myself finishing Gian's crown. And, thankfully, he wore it.

This is a perfect match of yarn and pattern. Yarn is Madelinetosh vintage in Candlewick. Although I must admit I was sick over the obvious aberrant skein. Which, of course, is the one I started with. . . and no, I did not buy them on line, but in person. Note to self, OPEN the skeins before buying. It is not enough to just look them over. It all worked out as well as it could, though, because I think the skein with the black flecks would be more obvious on the arms.

Now, I am working on Ginny Sheller's Sunday Sweater for Coco.

While I really wanted to have this done for her to wear for Easter, I have come to accept the fact that getting two knits done for an occasion is not likely going to happen for me. This will be her spring sweater. And it's just as well because, remember that recognition I mentioned for having created something? I don't get much of that from Miss Thing, so, no point in staying up all night to get something done when she will be just as under-enthused at a later date.  I was a little bummed, though, because, as  you can see from the photo above, this yarn that I already had in my stash (Dream in Color Classy in Go Go Grassy) is a perfect match for the Easter dress my mother bought for her.

But, alas, there are far more important things in life than getting a knit done by a certain time.

What are you working on?