Inspiration
It’s the Little Things
Dear Everybody,
Happy Friday, friends. December is speeding by. The U.S. Postal Service tells us that December 15—next! Wednesday!—is the last day to post packages for delivery by December 24, which leaves us just a few more days to batten down our holiday hatches, so we can fire up the cocoa pot and and make TikTok dance videos all day.
We appreciate all the support you’ve shown for the MDK Holiday Shop, which as you may have gathered, is quite a big deal around here. Like many small-scale retailers, MDK’s year-round health and vigor depend to a big extent on the shopping you do in November and December. Because of your support, MDK is able to steadily support makers, artisans, writers, designers, and our local team of employees in Nashville. It’s a good feeling to run an honest business that is centered on the craft that we cherish. THANK YOU.
Here’s a question that comes up sometimes, in one way or another: why does a website for knitters sell wooden spoons in its holiday shop? That’s a good question! How much time do you have?
Seriously, the reason is simple. We are daily knitters ourselves. Over the years, knitting has elevated our love of color, form, pattern, and all the beautiful handmade things out there in the world, and the people who make them. We firmly believe that knitting is part of a life well lived, and that the small moments of joy in our daily lives are the best parts of it all. And also: we know that some of us knitters think we have enough yarn to last us for a bit, and what we really need is a transparent bird feeder so we can watch our finch friends chow down from the comfort of our knitting chair.
And so: we search the world for some of the little life-enhancers we want for ourselves, and that we think you’ll want for yourself and for gifts for those you love. Here are a few of our favorites, beautifully photographed by MDK’s own Chris Sharp in Nashville. We applaud Chris’s talent for conjuring up “home,” “garden,” and “kitchen” in a former bus repair depot on Atlas Drive. Bravo!
Host-gift ready Wooden Serving Sets, Bornn Enamelware, and Cotton Towels
The perfect Canvas Workshop Apron, our birthstone chart-inspired MDK Calendar Tea Towel 2022, MDK Windup Blend whole bean coffee and Ballband Thermal Mug, and Thistle Farms Hand Care Duo
By Beehive Handmade: Lotta Jansdotter Mistletoe, Apple, and Pomegranate pewter ornaments—now available separately, plus Sheep and Llama ornaments
Flower Stitch Markers, Akerworks Swatch Gauge, Metal Book Rest, Loome Tools
Pull from the Tangle Print
Thanks, everyone. Enjoy shopping, enjoy free U.S. shipping, and have a great pre-holiday weekend. If you think someone might be shopping for YOU this weekend, be sure to print out our handy wish list and leave it in a conspicuous spot!
Love,
Ann and Kay
My, my! What beautiful and tempting things you sell! Quite an awesome thing to find in my inbox at 3am. . .
I completely agree with your sentiment that the “eye” developed during any craft for line, color, and pattern then expands to all different things in life. Also devoting oneself to a high level of care also translates to other aspects.
Every year I buy one or two new Christmas ornaments for our tree. I look for something made by hand or something that is special to us. This year I bought the llama ornament and liked him so much I bought the sheep as well.
I’m using the smaller Bornn enamelware dish to hold the soap dispenser in the powder room.
I’m glad I snagged the little watering can before it sold out. It’s wonderful for my crazy collection (hoard?) of houseplants.
Such a good point that knitting leads to an appreciation of color, form, pattern, and things lovingly made by hand. I was a trained designer before I took up knitting, but growing up in India I saw all these things everywhere. So who’s to say what led to what?
There is an artist and designer in all of us. If you observe children closely you know this is an undeniable truth.
I saw Bill McDonough, the sustainable architect, speak many years ago. He pointed out that we somehow teach the creativity out of children. He said that if you go into a kindergarten classroom and ask the children to raise their hands if they can sing, all their hands will go up. But if you go back to that exact same class in 9th grade, none of the kids will say they can song. It was so clear and truthful that it has stayed with me all these years.
Loved your point! So true. Most think of little children as initially blank slates but also sponges that soak up everything before them (how they ultimately synthesize all that info is a story unto itself). But it is their unlimited imaginations that have not yet met with constraint that give us lessons everyday, smiles, amusement, and the certainty of their potential. Today schools act independently of parents to fill their heads with specific information never to be challenged while at home parent similarly fill their time with scheduled activity and hopefully some moral molding. But the value of free time, to muse, to play pretend, to imagine rarely seems too often to be a very low priority which I rue. The imagination has to be exercised with time to “run,” be influence gleaned from various senses and only optimized by those that are taught freedom to think, re-imagine and asking as many questions as occur to them “How?” “Why?” What if…?” are deserving and as important to development as book knowledge. Most of all, learning to think through trial & error, believing in potential of new and original thought to solve problems is no longer prioritized by most. Creativity springing from active imagination is too often smothered by priorities oof STEM teaching – not unimportant, but I believe may be enhanced by fertile imagination & encouragement to think outside boxes. I hope it is not a wholly lost way of raising children and indoctrination is what diminishes potential.
So pleased to see metal book stand! I still have the one my mum got me for Christmas fifty years ago — and it still works!
I bought the wooden salad spoons and they are awesome! Gave them to my husband for Hanukkah. He makes beautiful salads.
The metal bookstand is absolutely, hands down the very bet one I’ve ever had! I use it with my ipad, phone, books, charts, etc! It’s PERFECT!
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