Celebrating the Equinox

Reading: "Taproots: Folk Issue 15" Crocheted: Iyana Shawlette from Knitpicks with Palette yarn in Latana and Fairytale: I used hook size two sizes bigger  as the shawlette is pretty small in the original pattern.

Happy Autumn! I love the chilly mornings this time of year that makes you snuggle under blankets and go searching for flannels and soft sweaters. I thought the Fall Equinox would be a nice occasion to crochet something warm and snugly for my girls. I worked on these two shawls throughout the summer months, knowing they weren't something I could just whip up on the fly, but they'd be well worth the effort. The girls picked the colors, but I didn't tell them what I was making. I gave them to them yesterday evening as we sat outside in the crisp Autumn air for a bonfire, and they both were happy to try them out. 

Oona also asked me to make a dress for her little deer, as her tiny dress had gone missing, and I can't resist requests like this especially when asked sweetly, so I immediately dug into the fabric cabinet and pulled out this very Fall-like calico that suited her perfectly. It was very quick to make... a gather skirt, two criss-crossed strips of bias for the bodice and hand sewed together. I'm not saying it was easy... I did the hem and finishes with the sewing machine and tiny bits of fabric have a way of jamming up the works, but Oona was very happy and took a butterfly hair clip and stuck in on her back for wings... a deer fairy, I guess. 

 I also did a bit of decorating with leaves we gathered on a walk in "The Fairy Woods". I pressed them between two sheets of wax paper with the iron to help keep them for longer. Then I pulled them out from the between the sheets and strung them up on a fallen branch we had also collected. They are hanging in their play kitchen area looking very festive.

We sat on a picnic blanket under a starry sky with a bright beautiful moon weaving crowns out of flowers. We had songs and told stories and danced with sparklers and said a special thank you to the garden for the bounty it has given us. It's very important to me to honor the seasons with my little ones. I want them to always appreciate how much the Earth gives them and how amazing the natural world is.

 We stayed up far too late and read more stories inside and had homemade ice cream with apple sauce which certainly didn't help the little ones settle into bed, but it was nice to celebrate. Do you celebrate the seasons? What is your favorite thing to make these changes extra special?

Daddy reading "Woody, Hazel and Little Pip" by Elsa Beskow