tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53152769047246872162012-02-16T20:00:49.491-08:00All crafting all the time.Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-32925841813856709902009-12-29T03:46:00.001-08:002009-12-29T08:33:59.193-08:00

Last year I made very few handmade Christmas gifts. The idea of making and sending something across the ocean in time for Christmas was really daunting. So I skipped it. This year, I went for it. I started early and made three (count 'em) shawls for the women in my family. Mom, Mom-in-Law, and Sister-in-Law. Two of these are Swallowtails, which is a really beautiful pattern. (I actually

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-90529360819168636082009-11-15T06:47:00.000-08:002009-11-15T07:09:58.877-08:00

So many of you have heard that we have been putting together an atelier for housing our Penelope Craft and MatherKunst businesses. Well, it is now in the final stages of completion, and the final necessities have been coming together nicely.This is what the studio looked like when we first acquired it:And, after much painting, building, cleaning, and assorted labor, it is now really shaping up.

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-23343479346335502232009-11-11T06:13:00.000-08:002009-11-11T06:19:53.689-08:00

Recently I created two socks to be used as a willie warmer for an awareness campaign for Greenpeace. It was really fun and I think turned out well. Go check out the spot on the director, Daniel Bird's site here.Fun times!

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-28660227991304451692009-11-02T07:51:00.000-08:002009-11-02T07:59:43.227-08:00

Working on the new Penelope Craft/Mather Kunst Atelier! Opening information coming soon..Knitting an amazingly soft Swallowtail Shawl with Merino wool.

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-72795779666001939352009-07-27T15:51:00.000-07:002009-07-27T16:03:34.948-07:00

So, everyone probably knows that person that can pick up anything and do it really well right off. For me, that person is Stina. She is an amazing classical sculptor. She learned how to knit, and in a week and had already made this gorgeous alpaca baby snuggly thing from a Norwegian magazine. That's her and Maia crafting down.So, tonight, when I was invited over for dinner and crafting at the

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-48262880512361451332009-06-19T03:44:00.000-07:002009-06-19T03:57:05.554-07:00

Today I finished up a pattern that I have been doting over for some time. It is an argyle patterned hat designed in sizes ranging from infant to child.I openly admit that I am not the world's best stranded knitter. (Some people incorrectly refer to this kind of colorwork as fairisle.) So far I haven't really been attracted to it. The patterns I usually like fall into the intarsia spectrum of

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-45930837914581979822009-06-14T14:25:00.000-07:002009-06-14T14:42:32.288-07:00

What a great time we had on Saturday for Knit in Public Day 2009. A whole bunch of us converged upon Westerpark in Amsterdam to knit, bbq, eat, drink and carouse. Here are some photos to prove it.

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-66216475161443791742009-06-12T06:12:00.000-07:002009-06-12T06:14:29.369-07:00

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-69044311377091314262009-06-04T05:33:00.000-07:002009-06-04T05:43:58.075-07:00

Knitting for boys can be boring. Mine seems to want something simple, not too flashy, and with plain colors or stripes (and of course skulls, but we can't adorn everything we wear with skulls now can we). This means stockinette, garter stitch, or some simple stitch pattern that is monotonous, and seemingly never-ending.Then again, once you get something that mindless on the needles, it seems to

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-69201521335692377512009-05-01T08:26:00.000-07:002009-05-01T08:38:06.268-07:00

Now then, here is my lovely score from Koninginnedag 2009:The Angora is 75% Angora, 25% wool. It's lovely and luscious and will make a lovely scarf-type thing. I got it for €2 a ball. I've seen it selling commercially from between €6 and €7. Heel goedkoop!The cones are a merino/nylon blend. Like sock yarn, I think (hope). It was so cheap, I just went ahead and threw caution to the wind.

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-21911225812358153222009-04-28T07:01:00.000-07:002009-04-28T09:41:50.298-07:00

For Addison's 7th birthday last week, he requested we get a pinata. In Holland. They barely know what a burrito is here. Good luck finding a pinata!So, what does a good mother do? Find a tutorial online for making one from scratch. It was really fun, actually, and Addison helped out. None of the kids at the birthday party had ever done a pinata before, so it was really nice.Here's the

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-20929756467703561282009-04-14T09:31:00.000-07:002009-04-14T09:59:46.622-07:00

Yes, I have neglected the blog in favor of the wonderful spring air. Thanks to the chiding of my friend, and consistent blogger, Andy, I have returned.This spring I have spent my time getting better at spinning, designing new patterns and/or helping to test new designs, and, to a lesser extent, knitting for pleasure. Here are some of my new exploits.This, friends, is my first 3-ply handspun

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-62707525731277720682009-03-14T10:27:00.000-07:002009-03-14T10:41:50.015-07:00

While you still have the chance, for the love of god, please go down to Wolf & Pack in Amsterdam and see this art show. It will only take you a few minutes, and it is really beautiful. The shop is just up the street from the American Book Center on the Spui. (232 Spui Straat, Amsterdam)The artist, 'Lil Shy, is a street artist and illustrator who has ventured onto the fiber side of art. Her

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-75784651857718728602009-03-10T02:17:00.001-07:002009-03-10T02:25:04.246-07:00

Come and mingle with Amsterdam Craft enthousiasts of all persuasions!!! Come on out to the March edition of Katie's Cozy Craft Corner.Fun will be had by all.

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-55964672246185519592009-03-03T06:12:00.000-08:002009-03-03T06:40:04.291-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you today, my very own handspun yarn. Take a look:These two are handspun from white merino, and dyed with Kool Aid.These two are handspun using two colors of wool alternately. It was good practice for joining, but turned out way knotty. The pink and white one might have enough yarn for some chunky baby legwarmers, so maybe I'll see about whipping some of

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-61854365912686532009-02-27T13:41:00.000-08:002009-02-28T03:21:13.224-08:00

Today I biked in the misty rain to my favorite tweedehands winkel. And look what I found for €30!I have always professed to being disinterested in spinning at this point in my fiber exploration, but I think the universe is speaking to me on this one. It even came with this spool of handspun.From looking around online I found that it is an upright wheel, and I found a photo of a very similar

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-29283445640725338452009-02-23T07:50:00.000-08:002009-02-23T08:09:42.365-08:00

This Saturday, a whole bunch of us Amsterdammers took the train to Zwolle to visit the Handwerk Beurs. It's basically a convention for crafting, if that helps to clarify.I wasn't expecting much since all the reviews I heard gave it low marks for knitting/fiber related arts. Despite its reviews, I was pleasantly surprised. While other people concentrated on getting hard-to-find items, hot new

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-59770910006471516162009-01-31T02:38:00.000-08:002009-01-31T02:58:58.662-08:00

Dear Diary, I'm sort of in-between personal projects at the moment, so I'm still talking about other people's creative coolness.My husband was recently in Frankfurt putting on an art show and had the fortune of catching up with an old friend of ours from Denver, Sonja Bergström. She has a cool creative space in the Frankfurt area called Bergström Studios. One of her projects involves these

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-17555016177696715682009-01-22T05:05:00.000-08:002009-01-22T05:27:19.054-08:00

This here is one of the lovely gifts I received for my birthday a few weeks ago. I wanted to post everything since there was a whole lot of awesomeness, but that's just overkill, isn't it?Dear Katie stitched this little lovely up for me. How she knew I was in desperate need of new tea towels, I never will know. Check out the detail on the hand grenade:What is it about the juxtaposition of

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-7410299792849427082009-01-04T06:23:00.000-08:002009-01-04T06:26:12.633-08:00

My preppy little pirate.

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-155911401483198802008-12-31T04:16:00.000-08:002008-12-31T04:54:07.545-08:00

Handknit socks are a real luxury. They are super warm, fit well, and are infused with positive thoughts. These babies are my newest gift to myself for Christmas. I cast them on a week ago and am now running around the house with them on.I have always used the following formula for socks:Step 1: Figure 8 cast-on (learned at knitty.com), increase to desired number of stitches for circumference (

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-59843444484699065392008-12-24T05:33:00.000-08:002008-12-24T05:43:24.592-08:00

My friend Wendel gave our family these darling Kerstboom (Christmas Tree) decorations at our Christmas party on Saturday, and I absolutely adore them.Wendel is poly-crafty. This means she is not monogamous with any one craft. She fools around with many different ones with a varied level of commitment to any given one.I fancy myself poly-crafty, but I really lean heavily on knitting as my

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-50174621536064175792008-12-17T01:20:00.000-08:002008-12-17T01:30:02.409-08:00

I have been making these super cute little ornaments over the past few days. The pattern is called Cheers! and is by a designer named Cheryl Niamath. For you knitter types, it is free and can be found here. They are really quick and satisfying and great for Christmas gifts.Here in Europe these go by the name jumpers as opposed to sweaters, as we say in the USofA. Another interesting European

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-25719811778116432002008-12-13T14:00:00.000-08:002008-12-13T14:04:46.251-08:00

We had a yarn tasting at Katie's Cozy Craft Corner this past Thursday at De Nieuwe Anita. It was super fun, very cool vibe as always. Here is a yummy photo of some yarncakes.xoMalia

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-54969015328254726362008-12-02T12:00:00.000-08:002008-12-03T00:38:19.478-08:00

Dagmar and I got a few colorways of the Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn. It's really striking. I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of some of the sweaters I have seen from Noro. I think it makes great accessories, but no one looks good in horizontal stripes.But this yarn is beautiful and tempting. It's all I can do to keep myself from casting on yet another project. This is the one I am lusting

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-3442263401827790732008-11-14T02:19:00.000-08:002008-11-14T03:30:35.712-08:00

A short while ago, my partner Dagmar and I opened up our webshop, Penelope Craft! Here is a snapshot of the website.We are actively making and adding new items to the shop, and are looking for new yarns and crafting accessories to include. Please stop by and check it out!www.penelopecraft.comxoMalia

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-84221147658299729792008-11-12T04:02:00.001-08:002008-11-12T04:03:56.556-08:00

Here's a really fun thing to do in Amsterdam tomorrow night! See you there!xoxoMalia{click to see larger image}

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-9890649903875755252008-10-26T02:54:00.000-07:002008-10-26T08:43:54.876-07:00

I have officially published my second for-sale pattern, the Melina Mittens. I desperately wanted this to be published on a popular online knitting site, but they already had a similar one in the works for a future issue. Ah well.These clever little mittens are knitted tip-down using the same method as toe-up socks. The simple cable detailing on the top side of the mitten combined with a picot

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-24719108204595888782008-10-22T02:30:00.000-07:002008-10-22T02:39:46.744-07:00

I always love getting handmade items from friends, especially when they lovingly make it, package it, and mail it across the ocean.Here is a lovely crocheted washcloth that my friend Pam sent me from Denver. One of the great things about crochet is that it can be immensely practical. (there are a hundred other great things about crochet) I like crocheted washcloths for the same reason that I

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-24905983529026908112008-10-12T04:56:00.000-07:002008-10-12T05:08:21.131-07:00

It may be that it is nearing Halloween and we are likely going to miss out on a proper Halloween. It may be that I am subconsciously reacting to the sorry state of the US economy. Or, it may just be that Addison really likes pirates, and was jealous of GiGi's skull dress (he kept asking me when his hat would be ready - assuming that the dress was a hat, and that it was for him).Whatever the

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-8938968825191068932008-10-05T07:23:00.000-07:002008-10-05T14:30:41.094-07:00

A lot of crafters make the lion's share of their projects for other people. Our gifts will take us hours and hours to complete, all the while thinking of the person for whom they are being made. I feel the items that I make for others are somehow infused with these good thoughts.When I get to the gifting part, I am always a little stumped as to how to demurely say "Hey, I made this for you.

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-87284466114651444682008-10-01T06:09:00.000-07:002008-10-01T08:09:59.327-07:00

Here is my newest finished creation, a skull Jumper based on the Vogue Knitting/Blue Sky Alpacas Baby Jumper (pattern here), only much better in my opinion. This one was made in a few days for my newest little girlfriend, 4 month old tough girl GiGi Tinsel.Love,Malia

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5315276904724687216.post-73966652013233022472008-10-01T01:33:00.000-07:002008-10-01T01:36:36.746-07:00

I resisted as long as I could. I started a new crafting blog today. It was a tough decision, but I think I can handle the responsibility. If I don't post terribly often, please don't think it is because I don't like you, because I do.Love Malia

Mather Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15787849649996450007noreply@blogger.com2