So I know this is super glamorous, but one of the most tried-and-true tools in my arsenal of housecleaning gear is a cut up rag that I use to wash dishes.

With four people and no fancy electronic dishwasher, let’s just say I spend a lot of time looking at those little pieces of cloth.

Over the years, I’ve learned to accept–enjoy, actually–the time in front of the sink with my arms immersed in water.  An act of working meditation, a grounding concentration of peace that immediately brings me back to center during highly charged emotional upsets, which happen pretty frequently in a house with two very young children.

The dishes are an odd source of both stress and relief.  As a gift to myself, I finally made something pretty to enhance the peace a little–a sweet little crochet dishcloth made from Hempathy, a blend of hemp, cotton, and modal that provides just the right amount of scrubby, durability, and flexibility.

Like most things in the Virgo world, I’m pretty picky about my choice of dishrag.

I’ve tried a multitude of supercute tawashis with no luck–they’re too thick and small for my taste.  I love the simple dishrags my grandma has used for decades, but I found them to be way too big and soppy.  My intention was to create a simple cloth that I would enjoy using, a tool that I could make quickly and easily without trying to find a pattern, and most importantly, something that would get the dishes clean.  I have tried hemp, linen, cotton, wool, and acrylic and I’ve found Hempathy to be my number one choice for dishcloths.  It’s lightweight, soft but tough, and it doesn’t get all stiff when it’s wet.  Because it’s so light, it also dries very quickly–which means no funky dishrag stink.

These are super quick to whip up — just click on the link below to view the pdf.  Feel free to sell items made from this pattern–please link back to thepeacefulpeacock.com.  Enjoy and please feel free to share!

Dishcloths That Don’t Suck – printer friendly version

who loves local? ... Dancing Wind Fibers from The Yarn Shop

Roving at the ready…

southwest blues ... corespun single ply

Brushing up the skills…

while tangerine dreams ... overspun single with sparkle

Honoring a blog crush…

big red dandelions

Admiring the view.

Over the past week, I have been banging out samples for summer show applications.  This will be my first year offering a line of clothing, and needless to say, I feel like a cat clinging to the wall.  Ears back, hackles cocked, resisting the pry with every ounce of strength in my toes.

My lessons this week are in Softness.  Being present.  Receiving.

There was a sparkle of thought that happened 8 days ago.  It inspired an entire collection of clothing (more about that later) and gave me the drive to bring 6 new designs into fruition–including one knit by hand–in the same amount of time.

Diving deep is good for me.  It strips away old scar tissue and exposes new skin.  Allows it to grow.

Do you have the courage to strip these scars?  To dive beneath them, expose them to light, and just accept them for what they are?  It’s difficult work and not for the faint of heart.

But my art is that important to me.

Are you willing to sit softly on the grass in the bright sunlight, tools for close examination in hand?

Are you willing to see it as it is?  Are you willing to let go?

There is a comfortable patina in the past.  An aura defined by years of use and habit, colored by experience and time.

Patinas are highly prized.

The right amount of patina.  Too much is too much and renders the object useless.

Strip it away, bring it out to light.  You don’t have to fix it.  Just expose it to new elements.  Leave the scar but clean the wound.

Polish when ready.  Leave the value there.  Take the too much away.

Gently.  Soft like a summer shrug in the finest alpaca.

When I made this shrug, I was so focused on getting it done that I missed the softness, the big picture, the enjoyment of taking two sticks and string and using them to bring spark into flame.  Now that the applications are done, the feet are back on the ground, and the world continues to turn, I open my eyes with awareness.

Be present in your process.  Be gentle, especially to your own shoulders.  Accept the gift being offered to you with grace.

Because art is that important.

tunes:  REM …   love is all around

After a good pep talk from my personal business coach (my dad) yesterday afternoon, I feel a whole lot better about the mayhem going on around here.  Sometimes when you’re in the thick of production, it’s hard to see what’s coming around the bend.

Well, here’s what’s coming around the bend:

Twenty rockin’ new coozies, packed and on their way to Hip Mountain Mama.  The bulk of my inventory right now is heading to Missoula with me, but you can get your mitts on these babies as soon as they’re posted over at one of my favorite online stops.  Just click on “Gift Ideas”.

And the bulk starts here:

Don’t be scared.  I have a helper.  A real live production seamstress, not just my little helpers that assist in their own special way.  Her name is Courtney, she is awesome, and you will be hearing more bits about her later.

The other little helpers, though cute and cuddly, have been let go for stealing:

One of them has a particular fondness for buttons, I’m afraid.  Incurable.

And let’s not forget…..

the yards and yards of glorious yarn.

Other news:  I’m teaching a workshop tonight at The Yarn Shop about making felted soaps, 6-7 pm, 5 bucks plus the kit.  Perfect for the fiber lover on your list!

And if you’re heading to the Christmas stroll this Saturday night downtown, watch for me spinning up that mad pile of roving in The Yarn Shop window!

Here it is.  I like to refer to this as “the ultimate blogger bag”, simply because it holds all the crap I need to get my work done.

Computer, cords, gadgets, camera, books, sketchbook, an arsenal of matchbox cars and fruit leather, diapers, YARN, and goodness knows what else will end up in there throughout the day.

I hate carrying more than one thing.

I hate carrying a purse.

A super gearhead backpack is totally not my style.

And I don’t wear black.

I’m kind of a pain in the ass, eh?

Yeah, well…  I have a cute bag, you can call me whatever you want.

This week’s Wardrobe Remix outfit is chock-fulla-fall.  Take a look:

• Hat:  Handmade by me a hundred years ago.  Stolen Liberated from my man.
• Sweater:  Handknit.  Wool.  Falling to pieces.  Will never surrender.
• Skirt:  Handmade by the lovely Natasha of Nature Gear.
• Boots:  Yard Sale Score.  50 cents.

What’s that?  You want to see more of the boots?  Yes.  Yes, indeed.

Like I said, 50 cents.

The ultimate media bag.

A slick hat for a city bound girl.

What projects has Autumn brought your way?

One of the best parts about vowing to rebuild my wardrobe by hand is that I get to make stuff for myself.  I never make things for myself.  Lame, I know.

I think when you become a mother, you just kind of get used to getting shoved under the current.  You come up for the life-affirming breath now and then, but mostly you just learn to live under water.  Well, this girl is ready to lay lazy on the rocky sand and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

I made this:

Which is a home for the sweet little gadget that my man got me for my birthday. It does this:

Totally. Awesome.  (Don’t worry, my drawings will inevitably get better.)

Today, I challenge you to make something for yourself, whether it be a simple little case like this one, a drawing or painting, laundry soap, whatever.  Just make sure it’s really simple so you can finish it easily and put it into your daily life immediately.  Sketch it out, write it down, and make it.  Today.

I’m so ready for fall.

Bold, saturated colors, crisp air, bread happily baking, microbrew porters, low-key jazz in the background, and mountains of yarn spinning through my fingertips.

But first, some loose ends.

LOCALS!  Did you know there are two more weeks of the Bogert Farmers Market?  You can almost hear the crickets chirping, it’s so quiet there these days.  Head ye to the pavilion, fill your arms with the season’s harvest (which is finally ready, um, NOW by the way), and take advantage of the final opportunity to get wholesale-for-locals pricing on all my recycled wool coozies and hand-felted soaps.

Saying goodbye to the market season is always bittersweet.  It’s a blast to interact with everyone and hang out with all the vendors, but I’m getting pretty amped to clear the calendar for those of you in my online community.  That counts as buying local too, you know–supporting someone in your online community.  Though there are miles between us, you are still spending mindfully.

You guys have been patient for a long time.  It’s finally time for you to get a regular chance to buy some of my stuff too.

The other day, someone here in town said…well, here’s the whole conversation:

Lady:  “Do you think you could make a couple of coozies with peace signs for me?”

Me:  “Totally.”

Lady:  “You see, it’s for my sister.  She’s kind of, well, she’d just really like something like that.”

I start digging for more information about her sister, trying to find the “something like that”.  Turns out she drives a VW bus, bright green, and you should have seen the gal’s face when she started talking about it.  She immediately started smiling and looking off into the distance, thinking of good times with her sister…

Me:  “What if I make you one with a green bus?”

Lady:  “Oh my God, you can do that?”

Me:  “I can totally do that.

So to make a long story short (like I ever make my stories short–my Irish heritage would never allow such a thing), I found so much joy in thinking about the glint in her eye while I was making this coozie, I’ve decided to bring a little twist to my Etsy shop.

Rather than carrying a regular inventory of classic designs like I had planned, I’ve decided to simply offer a small amount of custom coozies each month (like 10 or 12).  This means when you purchase a custom slot, you get to tell the story and I’ll figure out how to make it into beverage cooling art.

I thought you might like that.

For those of you who would just like to purchase ready-made coozies, you will soon find a great selection through Hip Mountain Mama, an awesome online shop run by a very laid back family in the mountains of Colorado.  And if you live here in Bozeman, there will soon be a couple of local retail options as well.

And if you’re still with me in this epic post, you can look forward to something I’ve been chasing after for a mighty long time.

A Collection.

Simple and sweet little goods, handspun and otherwise, just in time for the holidays.  Because I love you and making stuff for you makes me happy.

This week I stepped away from my personal wardrobe sweatshop and made a wedding gift for a friend.  It’s an honor to create such an intimate element of such a special day in a woman’s life.

A big honor.

I loved making this.  It was a beautiful challenge to incorporate bits that embody Brenna’s personality:  recycled fabrics, natural materials, and a great attention to detail.

The flowers and train are made from a repurposed organza curtain.  I simply shredded the fabric and left the edges soft and raw for the tails, and I researched different methods of how to make organza flowers.  Unsatisfied with any of the tutorials that I found, I grabbed the heat gun and just went for it.

I’d like to try more effects with the heat gun for the tail in future models ~ the shredding inevitably creates loose strands of thread that will have to be dealt with throughout the big day.  Not a big deal, but I can definitely see how it would be an issue for a Bridezilla.

Inspired by good old fashioned Mother Nature and a real life pixie named Annabelle.

(If you’re freaking out over this Woodland Pixie Princess Crown for your big day, please contact me for details.  One exactly like this would be $180.  Watch for a collection coming in Spring 2011!)

So instead of taking more pictures of the new tea blends, I got myself into a tizzy and created four more.  I’ll just show you some gratuitous Montana shots instead while I tell you about the new teas.

This beautiful place we call home is a major component of the inspiration, after all.

I’ll go into further explanation as the details get a little more solid, but for today I thought I would let you know the names of the new crew:

• Move Me Brightly
• The Peacock’s Fancy
• Glorybound
• Sacred Earth
• Green Go Lightly
• Prairie Shine
• Firedancer
• Beloved
• Black Moon
• Mountain Morning

Yep.  That’s ten teas that have erupted out of the flurry of flowers, herbs, spices, and top quality teas over the last few days.  It was really fun but I think I’d better take a break for awhile.  I’m a little crazy from all the caffeine.

Whoops, forgot one.  Woodland Maiden.  That one has hops.  And sticks.

So as soon as I get all the names rounded up, I’ll announce the winner of the Tea for Two set on Tumblr (you can see it in the sidebar over there under “current state of mind” ~ it also automatically posts to Facebook).  Thank you to everyone who entered!  I’m excited to see who gets to be the first to try Move Me Brightly–as for everyone else, it will be available on Etsy pretty quick.