I could just dye (everyday)

Avocado pits make pink dye.

Isn't that insane?!

 Its the most beautiful blush color, too.

I have gotten every single person I know to save their seeds for me and I have dyed almost every piece of white yarn that I own.

The first bit I saved, but the big ball of yarn I used to make this weaving.

 I am not a professional weaver and I dont have anything new to bring to the weaving community, but I love trying to figure out what techniques and yarn and colors I like.

 These are very basic ways to weave, but like I said with knitting- I want to be a yes person.  Just like the knitting, I kept seeing these beautiful things from people all over the internet and then my friend Rachel started doing it, and I knew I had to try.  I don't want be afraid of failing or looking like an amateur. Who cares?! (I mean, I do, but I know I won't learn unless I try).  I know I am not so talented that I can make up my own stuff, but I can use my hands to make things from patterns- or just at least try out different techniques.  I have enough yarn to knit a sweater to wrap the world in, so I may as well try.

 The white one is the first one I did that I hung up.  It is a mess. I  am going to take it down so I can (you guessed it) dye it with the avocados that I have now because everyone's bringing me theirs!!  Hopefully I can make something with more skill and that stays together when I take it off the loom.

I used these little ones to try out some colors and techniques and learned the hard way that you can not cut yarn that is connected in the back...

Sawyer wanted to try a little, but so far I haven't conned any of my kids into using my yarn to knit or weave.  Surely it will come soon.  I just know they will love it.

Tried gradients here.  I am so far from mastering it.  I saw a beautiful one that the colors molded together like a sunset and it made me want to try again.  

And Jeff.  He just is so curious and so great. He totally gets into what I am doing and it is just the best.  (I definitely do not return the favor, sorry jeff.) I started putting the pits in the boiling water and showed him how the colors get darker and by the time I wanted to put the yarn in, he had a tripod set up and the idea to make a time lapse video.  Love him.

IMG_8942 from kristen barstad on Vimeo.

It just SOAKS UP THE COLOR! I mean its amazing! The water goes from pink to basically clear after the yarn soaks it up! It just blows me away.  I love it so much.  Its so easy and I used this tutorial.  GO do it yall.  Its so fun.  

Knitting

(I didnt think I would be far enough on this hat to get to where I needed double pointed needles on my trip so I improvised with coffee straws :)

Real grandma talk- Knitting is my favorite thing ever, think.  It's so dorky, but it just makes me so happy! And I have found this whole community of people online that love it too that have amazing tutorials and patterns that have taught me so much.  I am so so thankful for it and have had so much fun pushing myself farther than I thought I could go.

This was the first color work that I had ever done and the hats up there were the first bobble pieces I had ever done.  They were clearly easy projects, but trying new things and pushing myself has been just so much fun.  

I can honestly not talk about this sweater without getting kind of emotional and I know that is so freakin wierd. I know.  But this sweater changed the trajectory of my knitting and what I am able to do.  This tutorial really changed the game for me.  I had made a sweater before and I had made a few baby ones, so it wasn't my first.  But it was the first one that I made up on my own, thanks to Karen.  

I read each blog post that she posted and took in as much information as I could to take me to the next step and every time I tried it on and it fit I just felt like flying!

Then I made these Iris sweaters by Jenny Gordy for my nieces that are so cute, but done completely differently and that was so fun too! The first one took me four times to get the front right, but I learned so much by taking it out and trying again.

Which led me to Boyland knit works who is the most beautiful fiber artist with her knitting patterns. I am obsessed with every single thing she creates and I want to make every singe one.  

I was almost late to get on the plane to Africa with my mom and Christopher because I was getting the yarn for this sweater from the wonderful Mckinney Knittery and I worked on it constantly on the plane and then a ton at home.  I took a break to make Kai and Presley's sweaters and then worked on it again after the new year.

This was the first step into lace work and it was very challenging for me. Especially with such thin yarn, but I did love it.

I ended up finishing it for the annual meeting dinner when everyone came in from Caris for the week and it was just the coolest complete circle for me.  Trying something new and saying yes to things that I wouldn't usually do or that I would be too scared to do has taught me so much more than I could have ever learned sitting on the sidelines. 

I want to be someone who says yes. I dont want to be afraid- or if I am afraid I want to not be too afraid to try.  I want to teach my kids that failing and starting over is so much better than not trying.  I want them to know that working hard at something is so much better than being lazy or having things come easy. 

Now I am working on one for Ben.  Hopefully I finish it before it gets too hot, 😉

Shea's Book of Life Party

Shea (and all of us) love the movie Book of Life about Dia de los Muertos with a love triangle, renditions of Mumford and Son songs and a little Radiohead- what more could you want?  

It was kind of like the first Coco and it has almost the exact same Land of the Remembered feel with the magical colors and floating lanterns and flags and lights.  

It is beautiful.  

We tried to recreate it as best we could and I never want to take the decorations down.  It was just so magical.  The pictures really dont do it justice.  If we had known that this was her party theme when the real Dia de los Muertos was going on, I could have really stocked up on stuff, but we found what we could and I am definitely saving the decorations for every year.

My friends from school who grew up in Mexico loaned us some of the stuff that they own and use for parties and it just made the party.  Jeff got a poncho and we had a sombrero and serving dishes and a guitar! It was amazing.  And Jan made Shea a Maria- main girl who every body loves- costume and it was perfection!

 Then we busted out a piñata (even though Jeff said that is probably mixing up Mexican customs.  I feel like they probably had a lot of piñata in the Land of the Remembered).

 Shea loved the piñata and everyone loved helping her break it.
It really was just so much fun.
Then we sang to her on a cake that she and sawyer made with jeff earlier that day.  And sang again and again. She loveddddd it.  Ate it all up.  Until the last time when we dared sing to Victoria.  Then it was almost as bad as last year when sass tried to blow out her candles and help her. bahahhah!!

Happy birthday Shea.
I can not believe that you are 4.  You bring such joy and spunk and gentleness and love and also opinions that you hold to very tightly.  You have shown me what it means to step out of my comfort zone and how much joy that can bring as I have watched you have to go out of yours and seen you shine.  You have taught me patience and you bring me so much joy.  To be loved by you is truly an honor and I am so so thankful you are mine!

Viva La Mexico!

 allllllll jeff.

 

There are so many more photos of this...I will have to come back. brb