In Classic Form

In classic form, the time of year that has me going in several different directions, mentally and physically, is also the time of year that I almost bonk into where I am headed due to being entirely distracted -transfixed- by the gorgeous thing that happens to Tennessee between October and November. It is that transition that seems to represent the humanness of nature. It burns and burns all summer, full force, exhausts itself, reflects softly on what it has managed, before settling in for a nap....finally being okay with letting things lie a little dull for the sake of a rest.  I could benefit by taking such a suggestion.
We enjoyed such a good time at Quilt Market last month, never less work than the time before though we continually assure ourselves that THIS time we have it down to a science, and the set-up will go SO much faster.  No, not really.  But it doesn't matter. Most of what I enjoy about the whole production is getting the opportunity to speak with shop owners one on one and in the Schoolhouse groups about what I was thinking when I dreamed up this or that.  The chance to clarify my efforts as a designer, and to help them with ideas about how best to use and present my fabrics once they have them in their shops is very gratifying.  It might simply be those lovely nodding heads as I talk that feels a bit more gratifying that the typing noise that I hear now....
It is no secret that I have been over here on the blog less, a lot like the rest of the world and the rest of the world's blogs, maybe.  I am able to get out so many small bits of my day to day words and images on Instagram that my sharing bucket gets filled up in smaller doses, rather than this more comprehensive dose.  And I will admit that the addition of building Craft South, literally and figuratively, over these past months (and more to come) has placed some limits on my time compared to early in this year.  The Spring had us planning it all, the Summer had us doing the pop-up version month after month, and now we are almost to where we will be launching the online Craft South shop in just a few weeks.  We hope for the actual physical shop to be open late March or early April.  In addition to choosing all the inventory and ordering there is so much planning going on behind the scenes that involves all of the workshops/events we will host, space design, branding and packaging goodies, product development and so forth.  In general I have about 8 massive lists.  I think what I am loving so much about this process, despite the load of work, is that a whole lot of it is completely outside of myself and my own brand, and that it is requiring something new of me.  I am acting as a curator of other goods, and it is very gratifying as a lover of so many types of crafting and making.  I love it.  But yes, it is yet another job title.
So.  That's the short story.  In other news I have new fabrics.  A new free quilt pattern.  I am getting deep into work on my 2015 fall fabric designs for.  I am knitting cables.  I am trying to decode Mary Anna's babbles on a daily basis and wishing I had the amount of clarity in understanding them as she seems to have in her delivery.  I am waiting everyday at the bus stop for Roman, and inhaling the smile he has for me as though it were oxygen.  I am cutting Nicolas's very long hair today at his request.  I have caught Joseph who just turned 15 telling Mary Anna how much he loves her when he thinks no one is listening.  I am floored by the amazingness of this coloring book self-published by my Juliana.  I laugh every time someone thinks that my 13yr old Isabela is my college graduate daughter.  I am thankful that Eleni loves taking care of Mary Anna in the afternoons as much as both Mary Anna and I love her wanting to.  And there were some rocks being thrown at my studio window over and over again the other day when the kids were playing out in the setting sun.  As I looked down to shout at them to stop I found my boyishly charming husband standing there instead with a giant grin on his face.  I cranked the window to say something sweet, but as soon as I could hear him singing "In Your Eyes" it was so ridiculously goofy that I just shook my head at him and rolled my eyes.  Returning to my chair with a small jump I my heart and entirely smitten that he is willing to be that stupid for me still.
And so much more. xoxo Hoping you are well, Anna

Landed

Well, we did it.

We have found the permanent, real, live, physical, perfect location for Craft South. I still can't believe it on so many levels.  What started over 18 months ago as an itch to move my online shop fulfillment, and therefore employees, to a space outside of my home, has developed into a venture, that in my hope of hopes, is literally and metaphysically building a brick and mortar wall around everything that I have been doing my whole adult life.  My name and that of my husband's is now signed on a lease for a building that is still in the process of being built in Nashville's most bustling neighborhood, 12th South.  We hope to move in towards the end of the year, and be open for business sometime early in 2015.  More about the project here.

The pop-up style of how we have been running Craft South this summer, has brought to us some of the kindest, most talented, funniest,  most diverse and interesting group of women & kids from all around the world who have had such a devoted enthusiasm for their craft of choice.  Garments.  Patchwork.  Embroidery. Machine skills.  Hand skills.  What they all seem to have had in common more than anything is the desire to share and the desire to learn.  Two things that I myself possess and work on every single day.  In other words, I have somehow managed to bring kindred spirits to my home and create a place and a frame of mind where we are all bettering ourselves in a way that makes sense to us.  That is me up there introducing the most recent group of weekend workshoppers to our shop in progress.  I am a pretty lucky lady.  Even luckier that I have been able to connect these ladies with amazing designers & friends like Amy Butler, Liesl Gibson, Natalie Chanin and, in just a couple of weeks, Heather Ross.  I am thrilled that we will have a place to continue connecting crafters with those that inspire them and keep an open door policy with our neighbors who want to share, shop and learn. 

If you have ever read my about page, you might have noticed a note buried in there about how I got started in my career.  I got started with my mom.  We had a shop called The Handmaiden in Knoxville that formalized the trade that I had developed in college of earning extra money making and selling dresses to local shops.  We decided to have our own shop and make lots more dresses right there in front of everyone.  We also sold the wares and designs of about 40 different local artists, so I got to know independent designers (in the days before Etsy) and their hopes and struggles at the tender age of 23.  Mom had just retired from nursing.  Juliana was 3.  Jeff was still in school.  We set up sewing shop at the back of the space, I designed the clothes, we both sewed them, and we barely made enough money to cover rent some months but I have barely ever had more fun as I did those three years with my mother.  Playing store, talking to customers, figuring out how to be a mother, wife and business owner all at once, but all with the help and care of my devoted mother.  My biggest fan, my most earnest supporter.  My partner.  The running of the business and all of the challenges we faced soon overwhelmed my ability to devote myself to designing.  When the designing suffered, I chose to rather run the clothing line out of my home for a few more years wholesaling around the Southeast.  My mother had this unbelievable knack for being able to chalk up the entire experience as one where we learned a lot and that it was a total and complete success, simply because it headed me where I was going.  She was so proud of me and continued to support every move I made in business and life until her last moments.  We had prayerfully dedicated our shop to the Virgin Mary, as she is referred to in some scripture as the handmaiden, and my mother was always so thrilled that we happen to sign the lease for that (incredibly overpriced) building on August 15th.  It is on this day that the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the Virgin, and all those named Mary, which my mother was, and therefore celebrate August 15th as their "nameday".  I likely would have forgotten that signing date had it not been for my mother so continually bringing it up over the years, and what a blessing it was to our experience.  That was her.  Always a good reason for everything.  There was a glimmer on every bit of life if you looked hard enough, even those that I might have labeled as failures.  She saw glimmers.

This new life I have- the one where she is not here, I am still figuring it out.  When good things happen these days, particularly the ones that I don't expect.... the glimmer feels like her.  It feels like she is arranging things for me.  True or not, it is a comfort.  And this new place.  This (incredibly overpriced) building - I have been working continually to be the tenant there since February.  It was a long and complicated and imperfect process that was filled with doubt, frustrations and high hopes and a huge investment of time beyond my everyday responsibilities.  The process took so much longer than anticipated.  We were set to sign in mid July.  Things got sticky with negotiations and it moved to early August.  Then we were set to sign on August 11th.  The lawyers were out of town so the date moved to August 15th.  And that is the day that this venture started.  On mom's nameday.  Again.  This time, 19 years later, it was our little Mary Anna's nameday too, and we celebrated her.

Just the day before we signed the lease I taught the kid's hoola hoop weaving class and a very sweet woman brought her daughter to take my class.  Before class got started I had a nice chat with the mom about craft, Nashville, parenting, school and how the city is growing.  Later that night once settled in with my laptop, husband and a movie I got an email from that mom.  She said it was not until after she had been in class with me and her daughter that she realized that I am the same lady that had a shop in Knoxville where she used to spend some time between classes while at UT.  She said she remembers that I owned it with my mom who was such a sweet lady with whom she enjoyed speaking.  I simply replied that hearing that gave me a lot of joy and what a small world.

We are beginning this adventure with a million little glimmers.  Some of them hard work, some of them prayers, some of them art, some of them stitches and some of them are you.  Thank you so much for any bit of help, encouragement, purchases, notes or thoughts you have lent to my process as a designer over the years.  They have all brought me to a place- a physical one that I will gladly walk into and I hope to see you there.

with thanks, xoxoxoAnnaMaria

ps.  keep an eye on the Craft South instagram feed for updates as we have them and the Craft South blog.

For (the sake of) Grace

There was a very windy, sweeping storm last night.  We woke up to sunshine, warmth, birds chirping and the tricky business of believing it could be Spring.  Jeff said there was something a little sad about the sunshine today but he couldn't say what exactly.  Something sort of sad about Spring.  While he sat on the side of the bed with his coffee, (hoping the aroma would coax me to upright) me still buried in blankets, I offered that maybe it's sort of like the sadness of waking up.  After sleeping deep in the dark, cold winter.  The beauty of the morning however can only be explained one way for me today.  Today is my Mama's birthday.  She would have been 69.  When I think of her and birthdays, I think of all she did for us and her grandchildren.  I think of cakes.  Presents.  The utter joy she had of finding just the right thing for one or the other of us (and on sale too!).  But for so many years now birthdays have been about knitting for the grandchildren.  She divided the 12 of them (13 now) into two groups of receiving a handknitted  gift from her.  One year she made something for each of my six children, then the next year she made something for the other 6 (my brother's 4, and my sister's 2).  So everyone got a handmade every other year.  A pretty sweet deal.  We would periodically expect an email from mom asking us to measure one child or another so that she could plan the size, yarn, needles, gauge, and other details.  I always, in my limited understanding of knitting from patterns, would overlook those details in our conversations and just wanted to see the color of the yarn and the pattern she had planned.  This was typical for mom and I as a pair.  I got excited about everything that I could see and dream of, she concentrated on the details of getting it right.  She saved the excitement part for seeing her gorgeous grandchildren in the sweaters.  She did not love doing color work.  She loved intricate stitches.  She was a beautiful knitter.  She has made amazingly lovely pieces.  She said a prayer for the recipient with every single stitch.  In the rear view mirror, I think that my slow uptake on knitting over the years has been because I just always wanted her to do that.  I wanted it to be hers.  I wanted, in very recent years, to not be the one knitting in the family.  We needed her for that.  I want to call her right now and tell her to check my blog for the pictures of Grace's sweater.  I think in the winter of of 2012, I began focusing on finally getting this knitting thing figured out because I felt that she would be handing this work to me at some point soon.  And at her hospital bedside last April (knowing that she had two knitting bags back at her hotel), I asked her permission to "help" with her knitting projects for a while.  My sister asked to work on the Christmas pajamas.  She smiled and blessed us each with a nod.  She gave us permission.  And so very much more.  

I will never knit like her.  I can hear her saying in my mind, as she is looking at this, that she would never dream up working the colors this way, but they are so beautiful.   It will be perfect for her, she would say.  My sweet niece, Grace, is 6 years old today.  Yes, she shares a birthday with mom.  It is so very appropriate that the first handknit, or as we call them "Nani Knits" that I created, is given on the day that we celebrate them both.  It followed a pattern from Mom & Me Knits.  But it's not pale solid pink.  It is striped and then some.  In Grace's favorite colors.  It's doesn't have big grosgrain poufy bows on the shoulders, because my niece is not a poufy girl.  It is bright and cool and gutsy like her.  Like both of us.  I made it with as much love & capability as I could muster, and trying to be all that my mama loves in me.  It is not perfect.  Only perfect in that it is a gift.  Still given from Nani.  Like the gift Nani continues to be for us.
Happiest of Birthdays, Sweet Grace.  A good day to be born.  (I hope it fits!)
xoxoAunt Anna

Big Color

I owe my Juliana a debt of design on this sweater because she almost punched me in the face when I told her I needed to buy some yarn to make something for myself. Exercising some restraint however she walked over to the six drawer chest in the living room, yanked open a drawer, held her hand in display position and said MOM.  You. Have. YARN.  (Only 3 drawers full though.)
And I did.  And still do.  Less than I did have though, thanks to some giant size 17 circular needles, knitting with 3 yarns at once and..... knitting guts.  I shied away from knitting for so many years because I felt as though I could not make it up as I went along.  That and lots of other now seemingly invalid reasons.  I have followed and completed over a dozen patterns over the past year with mostly good success.  I am only now starting to see where I would like to amend something here or there, or maybe do something differently than how the pattern is written if I were to do it again.  In other words, my designer brain is starting to walk hand in hand with my following the instructions and learning something brain.  I am developing a point of view as I barely scratch the surface of learning technique and variations on basic things about knitting. 
But this sweater.  Well this thing.  I had some reckless fun.  This sweater is my version of getting knocked up by knitting.  It is the product of just going for it.  And just like that dumb kid in your freshman studio painting class who thinks he can be an abstract painter simply because nothing recognizable is actually portrayed so how hard can it be, I just knit this thing very awkwardly and loud.  Like I feel like you could have (like) seen me (like) knitting it from (like) wherever you are because my motions of making it were large and happy and dumb.  And I was so excited the whole time and couldn't stop showing it to people mostly the same group of them that live and work here in a steady rotation once I thought maybe they were ready to hear about it again.
And it's huge.  So huge.  I wanted it big, but here was how the cast on went which was piled up with my decision making process on how many stitches to cast on which we will call, for the sake of this description, designing the sweater.  Yes.  That's what it was.  I was designing a sweater.  Aherm.  SO when I was designing the sweater I was like oooo colors, oooo, threeeeee colors at once, what does that look like?, ooooo what do THESE 3 look like together, oooo let me cast these on together, oooh look! (shows Juliana (who is rolling her eyes)), this is gorgeous, oooo when one color runs out I will just tie on another, yes!!, oooo, cast on 12, oooo but I will keep gray and white and black some what constant, cast on another 30, oh I think I made a hat once that was about 50 stitches, oooo but the colors will be like all landscapey- and HOT  there has to be some HOT colors, my torso is definitely bigger than my head so maybe 100 stitches, MAGENTA!  (gasp) Ooooh I have this magenta color scrap, that will have to happen right before black oooo dang every yarn I have is going in this thing oooo crap am I stealing all of my granny square scrap colors now?, oh well, oooo I think 120 stitches will do it.  Now I have a tube. A huge tube.  Like the whole family can get in here tube. But it is too pretty to undo. I started at the bottom.  Oh. Crap.  I meant to start at the top.  Dang.  (Looks up raglan sleeve construction bottomsup style on the interwebuals)  Makes sleeves.  Attaches sleeves, makes up things about attaching sleeves that I am sure I've seen somewhere but didn't bother to confirm because I was 60 seconds away from the baby squawking something about needing breast milk.
Then I had a sweater.  I think it is beautiful.  I am proud of myself.  And I like it so much that I am going to take it apart and do it over only this time with like 90 stitches.  It will be worth it.  I learned stuff and I want to use the that stuff I learned right here on this sweater.  Not the next one.
I am sorry, Knitting.  I know that you did not see me coming.  But you should have thought of that before you sent me the invitation.
True story.
xoAM
Raise your hand if you'd buy my knitting book........cricket.

Stretching Stripes

Well it was all too clear just moments ago as I stretched this little handknit over her tummy and stressed out a few buttonholes. It is likely getting close to that last day of this girl wearing the first sweater I made for her.  Do you see how upset she got when I told her?  Then we both cried.  Not really.  I think this would be an easy one to upsize now that I'm all cocky with my knitting skills, so that's on the (long) list.  I got the pattern over here from those smartypants at Purl.  As I've said before I suck at saving yarn details.  I also suck at resolutions to improve upon saving yarn details.  But. Well. There was red and blue and it was hand dyed and just thicker than sock yarn and washable.  Smileyface.

This place has been busy.  It took 3 tries and 5 days at the weathered-over airport to get Juliana back to Brooklyn for her final semester of college last week.  What?  Wait.  Final semester.  Had to retype that.  Got it.  I just turned in my fall fabric collections rather late, but I will beg the mills to forgive me and all should be well with that.  Pierrette and I sat down to make our schedule for 2014.  The whole year.  I've never really done that, but last year we did it about half way through the summer when things were feeling out of control and I was amazed at how much it helped me to put things down on paper.  Duh.  I know.  So very much of my work comes in regular intervals and with recurring tasks that should not jump up at my face and shake me by the shoulders every time they are due.  They should just happen.  Because I know they are going to happen and I should do things to make them happen in plenty of time.  I think you call it a schedule.  My name is Anna Maria Horner.  I am 41 years old.  I just made a schedule.

And there are very exciting things on my schedule!!! Two new quilting cotton collections, my first collection of jersey knits, reprints of some VERY favorites if my IG stream from yesterday is telling the truth, new sewing patterns, new needleworks patterns, new supply categories for my online shop, teaching at Sew Down Nashville and hosting SewDowners at my house (all of them), a Mother-Daughter workshop in Vermont with my very good friend Heather (I think there might still be some spots available)..... I'll stop here before I start totally freaking out.

How did I start this?  Sweater stripes.  Yes.  I imagine I can put Mary Anna growing out of more of her sweaters on the schedule, but I think I'll just watch that happen moment by moment instead.  Lucky me.

xoxo, Anna

::In 2013::

I haven't a clue how this will work out. Writing about 2013. I've dreaded it. And somehow longed for it too. Incapsulating the year in order to frame it up and make sense of what it turned out to be. I really feel and have felt so utterly speechless.  I sit in the same spot on my bed as I did last year. Though last year, still a few months pregnant, a few months bewildered, I sat atop a freshly made bed in the morning light.  Looking back on that day, I recognize that I was holding my breath.  Knowing how this year might turn out.  This moment I sit in the same place.  But in the dark of my room, buried under the rumbled quilts.  Not above them.  It is cold.  So many voices through my house.  The year was such a bigger part of my life than I can effectively write here.  But if for nothing else it is so necessary to fulfill what has become my own custom.  I cannot make a summary.  But I can share a vignette and do my best to describe the most memorable moment of my year. It is an image that when I look at it in my mind still, I see it as illustrating every day, every thought, every prayer, every dream, and every hope that I have.

It is this.

Once my mother was at home in hospice I was able, to spend many days with her.  Her bed was set up in the round, windowed sitting room off of her bedroom and each morning, we would watch the sunrise.  She only opened her eyes every now and then.  Sometimes to see me and smile.  Sometimes to rub my belly. Mostly she would just look out at the water.  Her face watching the sunrise was like a child.  It was as though she was in disbelief at the beauty.  She would frequently make the sign of the cross over herself.  She had a hard time breathing.  She had a hard time getting comfortable.  I would rearrange her pillows dozens of times a day.  I read prayers to her.  I told her what the baby was doing in my belly.  I brought in visitors now and then.  My sister was there some days too.  Juliana and Nicolas each a day too.  But most of her 13 days at home in hospice care it was Dad and I.  Day and night.  I didn't want to ever leave her side or let go of her hand.  I never wanted her to wake and not see anyone there.  Even at night in the dark.  Dad would beg me to go sleep.  I kept trying to convince him that even 36 weeks pregnant I was fine to sit up in a chair at night next to her.

One night I finally made him feel a little better by curling up in the small sofa near her bed.  I positioned myself and left a small light on so that she could see me.  This room that she was in, it was where she had always read and prayed.  It is filled with icons on the walls.  Though most of it is windowed, with views out to the river.  So at night you feel afloat almost.  In a vessel.  Very late when she sat up needing a drink, my father rushed to get it so that I wouldn't.  I forced myself to lay there.  Watching him help her to drink.  She settled back into sleep, but sitting up in bed, as that was easier on her breathing.  My father sat in the chair next to her bed.  There was beautiful moonlight on the water all around in the dark.  I could see the profile of their silhouettes.  We all fell asleep.  I awoke again.  In the glowing room, from my place on the couch their heads bowing in sleep towards each other made a perfect archway against the moonlight outside and the walls aglow in low light from a single lamp.  I looked around to the icons, all the saints, and Christ and the Holy Mother, and their gestures all seemed set in motion and alive, golden.  I felt afloat.  It all moved but not in a dizzying sort of way just in a very alive sort of way.  I felt little Mary kicking within me.  I was grateful to be present, I cried tears of thanks to be an adornment in this architecture of my family.  Under their archway.  Within this womb where my mother had invested prayer and love and thought for each of us every day.  I will not forget that peace amidst the turmoil of losing one so dear.  I will not forget the ever moving light that guided her and all of us through those days.  Yes in sorrow.  Yes in anguish.  Still to this day it is sadness.  But it is filled with hope and light and an example of how to live and I am thankful for all of it.

I nursed my precious girl in the dark of her room a few nights ago before finding my way to gently lay her in bed.  I realized something about darkness and about myself.  If you're patient and you trust everything that you know, your eyes will eventually adjust to all that needs to be seen.  The rest falls away.  You will able to see just enough to keep from stumbling in the dark.  But it takes a little time.  Remembering where you are.

I think my eyes are just now adjusting a bit to the dark.... this new life without my mom.  There is so much to see.  Much to do.  Much to give thanks for.  I am glad for the turn to a new year and the marked reason to see things a little fresher.  I have been given sunrise after sunrise and I suppose another will come tomorrow.

I wish you love and light in 2014!!!
xoxoAnna Maria

(On the needles above for my niece Grace, who shares a birthday with my mother in February...more on my knitting journey soon!)

Oh December

How did you get here?  Our days have been so very full.  With Mary Anna's Baptism planned for Saturday after Thanksgiving it wasn't until midday Monday before that I remembered something about a big meal on Thursday involving poultry and extra people in my house.  Oh yes.  That's right.  Additionally for a few weeks Jeff and I have been working little by little on our hall bathroom which has sorta been ignored in all of our years here.  I somehow can only see fit to make changes if I am allowed to gut and start over.  All or nothing.  But really this bath didn't require a gutting, just some thinking.  And scrubbing, scouring, scraping, plastering, sanding, painting, papering and prettying.  And I love it.  That paper snippet up there is a detail of this utterly too gorgeous to pass up wallpaper.  It was worth it since it covers such a small space but carries all the impact.  Anyway.  I would love to show you the whole room here soon. With that done I was ready to tackle the housecleaning for two days.  The baby was strapped to the front of me while I picked up or watching the washing machine from her bouncy seat while I folded clothes or asleep in her swing while I did the nittygritty.  We got it done her and I.  Once the kids were home for break I of course had to verbalize their share of cleaning to them repeatedly until it was done or until I verbalized it so much that I could have done it twelve times myself.  But that's how it works.  Anyway.  Our house was spiffy.  Which always makes me feel so ready to enjoy myself and enjoy our company.
Juliana flew in Tuesday night, and was attacked at the door by, well, all of us.  For a few hours each of the kids had to show her something they have been waiting to show her whether it was a new suchnsuch that she hadn't seen yet or a youtube video that hadn't been laughed at together yet.  I bought new sheets for the bed she uses in the nursery now when she's home.  They were freshly washed and tucked in place ready for her to plop down on that bed and sleep off the big city.  I think that was my favorite preparation.  I loved watching Mary soak her in slowly then the recognition warmed her to her biggest sister.  Sister cuddles.  So very wonderful.
Thursday brought my Dad, Jeff's brother, Dad and stepmom all for dinner with us.  Naturally it was all about food that day, but I didn't go too crazy.  I made my standard scalloped potatoes, turkey, ham, salad, and tiropita while my girls made two pumpkin pies, two pecan pies and a sausage apple stuffing.  In between cooking steps I joined the kids in front of the Wii a few times to dance my rear-end off while they laughed and beat me at the dancing game thingy that I can't remember the name of.  Mary Anna watched everyone all day.  She even threw her limbs around a little from her bouncy seat while we danced.  Certainly that was on purpose.  She's smart.  She watched and studied the less familiar faces.  She didn't miss anything.  Dinner was followed by what Nicolas likes to call a hootenanny.  Jeff, and his dad and brother joined forces on their guitars to play some bluegrass favorites.  Jeff sang more than normal as he has some DrivebyTruckers in his repertoire now.  Grandpa Jack serenaded MA and she couldn't take her eyes off of him.
Friday brought my sister from South Carolina who quickly got to the store with me to buy flowers for the reception tables.  If my sister Eleni is anywhere within 500miles and you need to do anything with flowers, either keep them alive, or talk about them or arrange them, she is your girl.  We had such a nice time picking them out.  I had such a nice time not arranging them.  She enjoyed every minute of me not helping her with that.  My brother was also in town by then from New York with his two oldest girls.  He and I made baklava.  I only wanted George to do the baklava with me so that mine would be better.  Which it was.  Then we all went to the movies including my dad who has not been to the movies in a million years.  Most of us were a little disappointed with the 2nd Hunger Games movie, some of us were just glad Papou paid for all of it, and others of us only went for the popcorn.  I imagine it might be another million years before he goes back.
The morning of the Baptism started with me putting ice in 120 glasses, placing my sister's bouquets on 15 tables then letting the caterers take over from there. The Baptism was so beautiful.  Her Godmother Kiki is such a tender and loving woman and we are so fortunate that she joins our family.  Mary Anna practically sprang from the font after being submerged three times without a tear or a wimper, only to begin talking to the 100 or so in attendance with giggles and joy.  It was remarkable.  Everyone noticed.  How blessed and sweet and unusual her response to the Sacrament was.  It was as though she wanted to know what was next because that was all just really fun and extraordinary.
Remnants of goodness are all around.  Extra beds with flannel sheets still set up that cousins slept on.  Couches shoved this way and that to make room for dancing. Handwashed knits drying flat and waiting for the next cold day.   Savory smells of past dinners being warmed and enjoyed again (and again).  Sweet bundles of jordan almonds from the Baptism. A gleaming ivory embroidered  baby gown hanging from the shelf that holds a picture of her Nani and me. 
Everything in and out of place and we are winding up the last of this year's strand.  So much more to go still.
xoxoAnna

Live for these days

Seems like it's just another day. Then you remember the tiny candycolored legwarmers you made 13 weeks ago when all you could think about was the day you would put them on her and squeal with delight. Then it is so much more than just another day.

happy Monday, xoxo, AM & MA

(Yarn= Koigu / Pattern= my own, but just simple knit & purl tube with ribbed edges)

Tiny Pants

We all know that I need no other reason to post than this picture.  But let's give you some content.

Tiny pants pattern is called Tiny Pants.  Which makes things easy, I think.  You can find it free at Ravelry here.  The quilt can be made with one of my kits here. 

I can't help you with the baby, you'll have to make that on your own.
I hope you're having a good week.  It's hot here.  Duh.  xoxoxAnna

Really ready (not really)

I keep having dreams that I am being put on bed rest.  As someone who has never been put on bed rest, I most likely have an unrealistic (stupid) idea of that being something to actually hope for.  Truth be told I would only enjoy that if I put myself there, and not if I were told to do it.  Like anything, of course.  I think I must be having strong contractions in my sleep that make me have these dreams.  I do that though, have lots of contractions by now, most light, but every now and then a doozy with pressure.  Because I have always done this, I fluctuate between ignoring them, and freaking out over them.

I knit these very, very small pants.  You have my left hand there as perspective on how small these are: so small.  I am a little in love with them.  I happen to actually fall in love with everything I am knitting right now.  I guess because all of it is small and cute, and does not take a very long time.  I joined Ravelry, which is where I found the pattern for these tiny pants.  I actually joined quite a while ago, but I just started spending more time on there since I began knitting, and I already suck at being on Ravelry.  I haven't done anything with it but search and download stuff, which is awesome, and I do have intent to get myself all together over there, and post projects, pics, notes, etc.  It seems like such a very good idea, bc I simply never make note of yarn when I start something, end up forgetting, then can't answer questions to anyone, including me even, so I can't even figure out how to wash it- ha!  Not cool.  Will do it.

My sister is coming today!  Today, like in a few hours!  I am so excited.  The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, I cleaned up the house (sorta), and I think this might even call for a shower and a trip to the grocery store.  A few days ago I was checking out at my local grocery store and the very youngish girl helping me with that was like "wow, is this your first baby?" (Nicolas was standing right next to me, so um, duh, no, not my first baby). And I was like "oh, no not by a long shot (smile-what's the next question)". She was then like "wow, so when are you due?".  I was like "I have two months to go still (here it comes)". She was then, with big eyes and staring at my belly, like "OH, Wow, you seem Really ready".  I just smiled and said "Mm. Yeah. (you seem Really Not ready is what I wanted to say, bc I am getting kinda cranky)."

So yeah.  Hope you had a beautiful weekend.
xoxoAnna

Sweet Little Bits

A week later I am coming back to life.  That was a doozey.  Jeff is still down with a variation on our illness, and I'm lucky to be feeling normal again, albeit a little sniffley.  It may not surprise you to know that the cruddiest part of feeling cruddy was feeling sooo cruddy that I couldn't even knit or any such thing.  Couldn't even roll over in bed let alone do anything with my hands or my brain, all which seemed a high level, luxurious impossibility for the first few days. The two of us did manage to rally around my laptop every night and get addicted to Breaking Bad.  I thought the first two episodes would keep me too stressed to continue but then we found our place in it, which likely had to do with the flu state of mind somehow, anyway.  When I finally did get to where I could work on things without falling over I felt life was worth living again. One night when we had the kids in bed, got settled with our laptop and lemon San Pellegrinos and tissue on the side tables, swathed in pajama layers, the Mr. said "do you have anything to knit?" "Uhhh yea." "Good. It's so cozy. I like it when you're working on something."  And that put our pattern of night time in place.

I've had these sweet baby and otherwise just sweet projects waiting for me.  Bliss.  The baby socks are from Joelle's More Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  As is the world's sweetest and simplest baby bonnet.  I love that bonnet.  I am trying to make sense of the fact that this girl will be born into Tennessee June welcomed by knitted caps and merino/silk socks.  The onesize bonnet though seems bigger than newborn, maybe 6mos, so good for fall and winter I am hoping. The socks should be good for cool conditioned indoors and I imagine that I will make many pairs to go with some simple voile dresses and matching bloomers (!!!!!).  I am too excited about making things right now.  My fingers are on fire and I've pulled every skein and scrap skein from my drawers that is some shade of pink or sweet so that they can wait for their assignments.

This sweetheart is a free pattern that I am working on for you!  It's quick and cute and while you could work anything in the background the basketweave stitch covers so much ground so quickly.  The project is small and simple enough so it's great for the littler sort or a beginner project.  I hope to have the pattern finished this week and it will come in Valentine card form for some special little gifts.  I'd like to make one for each of my girls and turn them into little pillow pouches for sweets or maybe zippered pouches for whatever.  I've used my new Anchor Tapestry Wool Palettes in Particulary Perfect for the above (cream is extra I have on hand).  There's another design I'm working on for the hearts too, we'll see if it gets done.

Over and out and xoxox from here. Anna Maria

At Our House

* we are sweet-ing


* we are (still) gift-making


* we are painting & glittering


* we are playing


* we are stamping (homemade giftwrap)


* we are warming


* we are anticipating


* we are remembering



* we are wishing you a joyous Nativity & that all you love & cherish will be near to you.

Thank you for the simple gift of being here with me now and then-
so much love, Anna Maria & family xoxoxoxox

If you need me

I'll be right here. For like a week or so.

Well if I'm not in the kitchen I will be right here.  I am wondering why I've signed myself up for a 5mile run on Thanksgiving morning instead of choosing to be right here.  I do imagine everything will taste 5x as good after the run, so that's something.  And that spot on the left of the couch there,  right up against the log cabin pillow, situated and stretched out just right so the bottoms of me feet are warmed by my hubby at the other end in his spot, yes, even that will feel 5x better after a long run, and a warm meal.  (That's what I tell myself when I cry a little on the inside about 5 miles in the cold.)

What do you think?!! Look!  The living room was clean for like a half of a second so I took a quick pic of the gallery side.  We are really enjoying it.  Feels just right, wall-color-wise.

In other news Cash the puppy ate my only pair of knitting needles.  In other other news Cash the puppy ate my only pair of eye GLASSES.  Glasses.  (You may remember the storied pair of glasses.)  I am so confused.  Glasses don't even taste like anything.  I can see where bamboo knitting needles are wood, and dogs chew wood.  Just like remembering newborns all over again, with puppies (particularly labs I think) you really forget what you are dealing with until you are holding several pieces of what were formerly a pair of tacky grandma from Miami Versace zebra striped eye glasses. Hmpf.

Good try Cash the puppy, but I have contact lenses and new knitting needles and I still love you.
good weekend! xo, AM

Works In Progress

:: Patchwork of wool, and a smidge of linen (sneak peek of my linens for  04/13)

:: Hand-quilting a baby quilt of Field Study Voiles (shipping any day now)

:: Drawer of crochet sunshines getting full but not full enough (pattern my own rendering)

:: My first EVER knitting project!!!  Watched this class with Debbie Stoller and it all finally clicked (then clacked, then knitted, then purled and so on)

:: My growing yarn bowl was in need of some new color (mostly merinos from Manos del Uruguay)

:: The sidewalk is getting crunchier every day (the bright hues giving way to some more somber tones)

:: Our family room mantle awaits the arrival of (hopefully) another pinch pot turkey next week

thanks for the visit, xoxoAnna