wool + home co. : winter light

Introducing my little etsy shop, Wool + Home Co. to you today!

It was about two years ago now when this idea to open a little family handmade etsy shop came into my mind.  I had quite a few friends and family members asking me to sell knitted items for them, and while I really aim to knit mostly for my own little family, I do love that others value handmade items.  Knitting is meant to be a slow craft and I will never be able to mass produce a bunch of knitted items, but I believe it would be fun to offer one larger seasonal item per shop update, and maybe a few smaller items sprinkled in when I feel up to it.

I love making things, finding beauty in ordinary places, paying attention to the seasons and the world around me.  In this little home + family shop, I hope to offer you seasonal updates with things we’ve made that reflect both the season and our home.  That’s why this first update will reflect winter light.

In winter time, especially now as we move toward winter solstice and the darkest/longest day of the year, it’s the time of year when we burn a lot of candles in our home.  I have come to only burn these beeswax ones that we all roll by hand, thankful for the healthful benefits they offer as well as the warmth and light.  Right now I am using them in a simple homemade advent wreath, as you can see pictured.  I always have a few around the home and I find them to be beautiful even clustered in a jar on my kitchen shelf.

The shawl is called the Campside Shawl by Alicia Plummer (and I did ask for her permission to sell a shawl knit from her pattern).  I have one in yellow which I wear daily ever since I finished it.  It is the coziest and softest yarn, warm but light enough to not be hot because of all the eyelets.  I wear mine when I’m home around my shoulders, usually grabbing it first thing when I wake up in the morning.  If I’m headed out, often I wrap it around my neck like a scarf.  I think it’s beautiful worn both ways.  This one is knit in Madelinetosh DK Twist, in a color called Doe Eyes, a hand-dyed yarn.  The color is a silvery grey with a hint of blush and lavender.  It is 100% merino wool which means is it very soft and luxurious, and also a natural fiber that I recommend you hand wash gently and lay flat to dry (though honestly it wouldn’t need to be washed very often at all).  I had quite a few people ask me about my yellow one, so that was why I thought this would be a good shawl to knit up for one of you.  It is very hard to price an item like this, as the yarn cost alone was $70 and it takes months to knit an item of this size.  I hope that it would lend some coziness, comfort, and warmth during these winter months.

Phoebe has been making potholders for awhile now and recently began making these with a wool/cotton blend fabric.  Though they are smaller, they work far better than my potholders from ikea 🙂 and I use them under a steaming mug of coffee or hot cocoa for the kids, as well as lifting hot lids in the kitchen.  She comes up with her color choices on her own, and I think she has a better eye for color than I do!  Of course, the proceeds for whatever she sells in our little shop will go to her.  May they bring a spot of joy and color to your kitchen in the dreary winter months.

I’ve been using these little lavender satchets in every closet in my home, tucked in with my yarn stash and in drawers.  When they seem to grow less fragrant if you simply squeeze and rub the ratchet around a bit, the scent is released a fresh.  I love anything lavender, and these were made with 100% organic food-grade lavender flowers in a cotton muslin bag.  Every time I open closets and catch a whiff of them I remember the warm summer days soon to come.

Last, but certainly not least, just a tiny bit of my own hand dyed yarn!  I never thought I would be interested in dyeing, but natural dyeing is so much fun and so very satisfying.  I absolutely loved dyeing up these skeins for matching sweaters for my girls, and planned to dye a few extra to sell here.  The pink are skeins dyed with avocado pits and skins so it has a mauve-y brownish pink color.  The yellow skeins are dyed with marigold flowers from our garden and is a bright chartreuse yellow.  I think they actually pair really beautifully together!  Of course, this is a bit more of a rustic 100% worsted weight eco-wool (minimally processed) so it isn’t as soft as merino, but I do believe it’s still nice against the skin.  It’s very squishy and plump and had quite a lot of lanolin in the skeins when I first got it.  I hope this wool brings some cheer and color to your hands as well as warmth.  I am currently working on Phoebe’s sweater in the marigold dyed yarn and it literally makes me happy every time I work on it because of how cheery and bright the yellow is.

This first update will be quite small and simple, and I guess we’ll see what happens from here.  After working for months to get all of this ready, I’ve been second guessing myself a ton and have nearly bailed on this idea multiple times, but Brandon has been firm in encouraging me to keep going and give it a brave try.  There are makers far more talented than I, but these are simple offerings from our home to yours, things that we’ve made with a lot of joy and love, and that we’ve been excited to offer to you in hopes that they would likewise bring your joy.  Of course, your support helps support a single-income homeschooling family of six and we so greatly appreciate it!

Oh, and as for the name.  I think picking a name has been the biggest hurdle so far, and it’s not perfect but I like it’s simplicity in summing up that we will offer a few wooly items and also things from our home for your home.  I hope you find something you like or maybe a good gift item for someone in this Christmas season.

May you find the light in your winter days and savor it!

xo
Martha + fam