Red Vines Jacket in OWool Bulky

Click to Find This Project on Ravelry

Here’s one of my newest (really new) creations – the Red Vines Kids’ Jacket in Organic Merino O-Wool Bulky.  Featured in the Winter 2010 issue of Living Crafts, it is sized a roomy 6/8 yrs.  Extremely versatile, an extra skein can make it into – well – something bigger!

When I first got a hold of a sample of this yarn from the Vermont Organic Fiber Company I instantly fell in love.  It was squishy and soft and I couldn’t stop fondling it. It begged for big, lush and puffy cables. While I was swatching, I started playing around with simple yet interesting cable patterns.  The yarn kind of took over – and I gladly surrendered control.  The panels started growing organically (all puns intended) into the cables and they gently moved their way up the fabric.  I wasn’t going to argue.

Once the idea and swatch metamorphosized into a pattern, the knitting was just as enjoyable .  Knitting at a steady, but not manic pace, I finished it up in two weeks.  The shaping is so simple and the end result cozy warm.  The kid is pretty adorable too, no?  That’s Zane, who takes it for granted that his mom is going to make him put on a sweater or something and take his picture in the back yard.

Here’s a “behind the scenes” shot – me styling a five year old the best one can:

That pretty much means saying, “stop rolling around on the grass, please look over here” and trying to pull the leaves and grass off the sweater before the next shot.  But Zane is an old pro.  Here’s a shot of a project from my book, “The Gift Knitter” from the early days of his career:

He might be about 10 months old here, and mere seconds after this shot, he fell off the chair and face planted into the dirt.  It’s a tough life being cute.  This is the vintage inspired “Matinee Set” – leggings, socks, jacket and patchwork blanket – worked up here in Brown Sheep Bulky Machine Wash.  I guess we’ll all just have to stay tuned to see how Zane’s modeling career continues.

Meantime – Winter 2010 Living Crafts is on its way to subscribers now and in stores soon.  If your LYS or fav craft shop doesn’t have it, ask about it.  It’s a wonderful mag full of all kinds of handwork and family friendly projects.  Enjoy, and if you are on Rav, please post pix of finished projects, I just love to see.

My desire to create has been going full blast – and the drive to make little, small, sweet things has been strong.

Here are my two new girls.  Rose and Stargazer.

Rose has kickass hair and she may be the queen of the garden.

Stargazer (for my favorite lilly) is a wild child, and has a handknit tunic in Blue Sky Alpacas Melange.

They have  a little brother – the autumn fairy Aspen – a little boy fairy for Zane who was inspired by this fall’s incredible aspen colors.  He’ll come out to play in the next few days.  Fairy love!!!

It’s time for some new things and a new look for the blog of Tara Jon Manning.

Here’s a midway-halfdone peek.  Check back for progress.  xoTara

Announcing Dates for the 2010 Mindful Knitting Retreat in Vermont:
Thursday March 11 to Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Once again, The Highland Lodge will be closing its doors to the public to transform into the Mindful Knitting Retreat Northeast.

Please join us for oh so much fun!!   For full details, visit the Mindful Knitting Retreat Page on the Tara Handknitting Website.

To make a reservation right now, because you are so excited and can’t be bothered looking at some web page, contact The Highland Lodge in Greensboro, Vermont via telephone(802-533-2647) or Email info@highlandlodge.com

Space is VERY LIMITED – please register EARLY!  See you in Vermont!

http://www.tv4.se/1.283438?videoId=1.904638&renderingdepartment=2.4034

An interview with a little bit of Adam, and more of B-man – discussing what it’s like to be an activist rock star and how the world’s definition of what it means to be a “hero” is very confused. Enjoy.

Wow, this year’s Mindful Knitting Retreat in Vermont’s North East Kingdom was WONDERFUL. The biggest yet – we filled every bed in The Highland Lodge. What a blast.  One of our participants -  Atomic Knits - did a much better job blogging than I ever could – check out Atomic Knits post here.

And – as a refresher, or intro, I thought I’d pop this up here today.

In this less than five minute video, The Sakyong, Mipham Rinpoche, the head of the Shambhala Buddhist Lineage, teaches us the basics Mindfulness Meditation.  Have a look.  Perhaps consider watching this as you get started on your ten minutes of meditation a day (just like brushing your teeth – right Eric?!)

Enjoy – Happy Spring, Cheerful Knitting, Peaceful Meditations. – Tara

Your Brain on Knitting - Cast On with Brenda Dayne

So, the hot water cozy download is not going as smoothly as expected. While you are waiting for the master knitter to try to figure out problems in HTML code (ie – big mess), you can listen to Brenda Dayne interview me on the current episode of CAST ON (http://www.cast-on.com/)

As I have told friends and family – if you are still wondering what it is that I do, listen to this. But it’s not just about me (just sayin’). This episode wraps up Brenda’s brilliantly themed series on ALCHEMY and we discuss what Mindful Knitting is, who I am, and why being present in the current moment is so much fun and so damn hard!! This show talks about the brain, creativity, sympathetic and parasympathetic brain reactions and magically makes it relevant to knitting. Bless Brenda’s amazing magic.

Have a listen, Let me know what you think.

Love and Kisses -Tara

Hearts and Heat HoWater Bottle Cover

I LOVE my hot water bottle. I’m thinking I love it more than most people would, and possibly more than I should. I might not be able to live without it. When I’m cold, I zip it up inside my fleece vest. When I’m not feeling well, I let it soothe my aches – real or imagined. When I’m not sleeping well, I use it as a pillow under my neck, and when I want to feel cozy, I place it between the sheets at the bottom of the bed to warm my tootsies. True Love!

One thing about a hot water bottle – well it’s ugly and smells like rubber and it feels funky. So, it needs a soft, snuggly and washable cover to make everyone happy.

I made this cover many years ago when I was hanging out at my former yarn shop, Over the Moon. I was inspired by the color palette of the original 1824 Cotton from Mission Falls and the whimsy of

Mags Kandis – founder of Mission Falls and delightful fiber designer extraordinaire.

This piece is worked from the “top” – or the neck – down. You work the top ruffle and the ribbing flat (back and forth) on the circular needles. Then, join the work in the round, increase to the necessary number of stitches, and work in circular knitting. The checkers stripe and the heart motif are worked in Fair Isle style/knitting in the round. Once you reach the desired length, you just turn it inside out, closed up with a three needle bind off – and put the kettle on!

GET IT on my website, tarahandknitting.com at http://www.tarahandknitting.com/patterns/patterns.htm

You down with YSP?

The new Knitty is live and with it the Winter Mindful Knitting article. READ IT. I think you’ll enjoy it.

YSP – Like ESP. Also a pop culture reference to Naught by Nature, which, if you under the age of 30, may be a bit of a stretch – if you don’t know – You Tube it.

Meanwhile – I thought I’d let you know what lovely fab fibers I am communing with in the latest Knitty.com article.

Tara Listens to BROOKS FARMS FIBER KID MERINO yummy.

Tara feels and fondles Ritual silk chenille from Alchemy Yarns of Transformation

Tara in contemplation with Lush from Classic Elite.

Can you dig it?

A quote from Trungpa Rinpoche, through the Ocean of Dharma Quotes listserve.

Yeshe Tsogyal

“Feminine inspiration projects a world which it can regard as workable and friendly since it is its own creation…..An aspect of feminine inspiration is regarding what you have created as sacred. You have created Buddhism, Christianity, Sufism — it is your production. Since it is fully yours, respect it, work with it. These teachings did not come from somewhere else; your own openness gave birth to them.  Moreover, you gave birth to pleasure and pain. You built Paris, London, New York City. You produced the president of the United States. These things are the product of feminine inspiration.”

From “Femininity,” in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Six, page 564.

About Yeshe Tsogyal (wikipedia)
“From the mouth of a lotus was born
The swift goddess, heroic liberator
Who went forth in human form
Amid the snowy mountains of Tibet.”

Among lay Tibetans she is seen as a Buddha who takes the form of an ordinary woman so as to be accessible to the average person, “who, for the time being, do not see her Vajravarahi form as a fully perfected deity.” In fact,

She displays whatever emanation form will tame
Any given [person], just as, for example, the full moon in the sky
Emerges as [various] reflections in different water vessels.