Thursday, December 27, 2012

Give-away Knitting Patterns!


Give-away from Mamma4Earth!


Welcome to Linda Dawkins!  

"I have always loved knitting, my mom taught me to knit when I was 5 years old. When she was younger she knitted cricket jerseys for all of her brothers. I used to often see her knitting when I was little, she knitted us a variety of clothing including our royal blue jerseys for school, these were the softest jerseys, so much softer than the shop bought ones. One day I asked her if she could show me how to knit and she did. She gave me two short, size 4mm knitting needles and a ball of blue double knitting wool. I can remember that day clearly. I was always encouraged to try and knit her projects that she was busy with, this was wonderful because I managed to master some complicated patterns and knitting terminology at a young age and she always helped me along the way. I attended a Catholic convent school while growing up and knitting was a part of our curriculum, there were new projects to make for school each year and when I was older I started to knit more advanced items. The first jersey I knitted was a cabled design, I was 18 years old and I still have that jersey today.
After my husband and I had children, I studied to be a Montessori preschool teacher, I taught for a few years and then after the birth of our fourth child, Kye, we decided that I would no longer work but rather homeschool our children. I discovered the wonderful world of Waldorf education with all its beautiful natural toys and this is when I started knitting toys. At first, I just knitted them because toy patterns were so adorable but then I felt a change developing. A few months later, Mamma4earth, our family business, was born and has been growing each year since 2008. I began to really start looking at animals, I noticed that when I encountered an animal or bird I would often study its shape and see the curves and bulk of its body. I would watch its movement and grace. I would calculate the stitches in my mind and see the animal become a knitted creation in my mind's eye. The design usually marinades within my consciousness for a few days and then I begin the pattern writing and designing process. When I start to write a pattern, I usually continue writing until I am finished, I seldom start designing and finish later, this tends to break the flow of my thoughts. Often I wake early in the morning and while my eyes are still closed, I think of a new design, this is one of the most exciting aspects of my creative process. I love how my thoughts eventually fall into place and a new creature takes form... My inspiration stems from my beautiful family and the wildlife that we are surrounded by in this lovely country of ours. 
My family and I live in South Africa, we have a suburban homestead where we grow veggies and fruit and live a sustainable lifestyle. We have a whole troop of chickens, rabbits, cats, birds, fish and our newest pet that seems almost human at times... a Labrador called Sandy. I often write about our life on our blog called Natural Suburbia. You can find my patterns for sale on Etsy, my Craftsy Shop and my Ravelry Store.
  
Links:
  
Giveaway:
The winner will receive 8 patterns of their choice!  
Entries include leaving a comment on the Natural Suburbia blog, "Like"ing Mamm4earth Facebook page, Repinning a Mamma4earth pattern image on Pinterest, Following Mamma4earth on Twitter, adding Mamma4earth as a friend on Ravelry, or purchasing something from the Mamm4earth Etsy shop.   That's up to 6 opportunities to win!  

Email us at: info@syrendell.com by December 31 to let us know about your entries. 

Monday, December 17, 2012

So Grateful....

During this time of Thanksgiving through Advent, we stop to pause and think about what we are grateful for...

A beautiful Thanksgiving Day celebration with family on both sides.


Healthy, happy children.

Living in a beautiful city that is safe, full of nature and arts and so much more.

Being able to express ourselves artistically.

Have the freedom to choose the best way to educate our children as they grow.

Giving birth at home blissfully.

Being surrounded by musical instruments...and yarn!

Having jobs that we absolutely love...teaching, consulting, music, workshops, weddings.

Enjoying our adventure as a couple over the past 24 years.

What are you grateful for?

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Blessingway - Rhythm of the Home

Our article about having a Blessingway is featured in the Winter 2012 issue of Rhythm of the Home magazine! http://rhythmofthehome.com/2012/11/creating-a-blessingway/