Happy holidays!

Ah, Christmas. I love the weather, seeing my friends and families' faces light up as they open their gifts, and especially now seeing my children get excited to see the "pwetty lights" and open presents. I love the food, especially the fudge, the music, and the weather (usually--we finally got our first snow this week!). One of the unfortunate things about making all my own gifts is that it keeps me REALLY busy, even up to Christmas morning working on things. I guess I could start working on them earlier, or set my deadline a week ahead or something, but that is definitely not what happened this year. I literally sewed buttons on my sister-in-law's slippers after she opened them, since I had spent all morning sewing the cuffs on and didn't get to finish in time. It didn't help that I decided to crochet 3 hats for all the little boys at the last minute...

The great thing about the Christmas rush is, now everything is done! I can work on projects that I've put on the back burner for months and take my time. One of those projects is to update this blog more often, and tie up loose ends that I haven't done. First off, my craft space:

I know it doesn't look like much yet, but hopefully it will over the coming months. The best thing about it is, I have one! I have a place to store all my felt (in the black case at the bottom) for the boys' project (which has had little to no progress over the last weeks), all of my sharp utensils and dangerous items are stored up and away from little hands, and the lighting in there is wonderful, with the giant window to the right. I will have space on the peg board to store important items (like my college degree), calendar, and some fun inspirational quotes. I have plenty of storage for small items like sewing notions: there are hooks on the right that will hang spray painted cans, and the hanging basket for larger items. One of these days I will get it all organized and decorated, and then I will feel like I can work. 

As you may have guessed, the boys' project is not finished yet. I have a few finished items in the black box on the table, ready to be sewn together, but not yet enough to be paired. I plan to make 2016 my Year of Doing, as 2015 was my Year of Wanting, so I will get this project done before they get too old to enjoy it.

I still need to update with a couple of photos of the boys' birthday party decorations, so hopefully I can get that done in the next couple of weeks, then get back to posting about yarn. I've got several new items to add to my Etsy shop, so hopefully this month I can get some new listings posted. Keep checking back and I will hopefully have more consistent posts, with some new items and updates to oldies.

A belated merry Christmas and happiest New Year to you!

Nearly November...

We've been here for nearly 6 weeks now, and I still haven't gotten my craft room up and running the way I'd like. I've been sick for the greater part of that time with a nasty cough, volleyball season (which I referee) is now over, and preparations for the boys' birthday party next week are in full swing. With Halloween this weekend as well, I've had several Etsy orders for viking/dwarf beards, so I've been keeping busy. I haven't been able to complete much on the boys' birthday gifts, so I decided to make a new goal of Christmas gifts instead. They're only 2, so they won't remember that Mommy and Daddy didn't get them tons of toys, especially when they're bound to receive plenty from family and friends.

The boys' birthday theme this year is trains. That is all they've wanted to talk about the last 6 months, so I thought it would be a natural choice. They don't know who "Thomas" is because we don't watch television, but they love train sets, little magnetic train cars, going under train bridges, watching train videos on YouTube, reading books about trains, and of course, stopping at train tracks to wait for passing trains. I'll post photos of the party decorations up, but I found some really cute inspiration on Pinterest. I wasn't able to use all the cute graphics and "free printable" train stuff because I wanted to combine elements such as wording with photos, so I ended up designing my own using MS Paint. I think they turned out adorable!

The hats in their photos were from a crochet pattern I bought here. I tried and tried to find something similar for free, but every link I clicked led me back to this design, so I bit the bullet and purchased a pattern. They were very easy to make and I think they look fabulous on the boys, especially in their little overalls :-) I made them a little large, so hopefully they will fit their large heads for a year or two. They're Lily Sugar 'n Cream, which my dishtowels are made of, so I know they will be able to withstand MANY washes if need be. I'll have them on my Etsy site before long.

I have been able to get several of my handmade Christmas gifts done in the car on long trips recently. I found a really cute and simple pattern from JoAnn that I've been using, which has also helped use up some of my Vanna's Choice yarn. I'll have to wait until after Christmas to post photos, because someone might catch a sneak peek and spoil it. I have a pretty small budget for Christmas gifts ($25 a month throughout the year), so I'm trying to make a good blend of handmade/homemade and store-bought/experiences. The handmade take a little longer than gift cards or shopping, but I like being able to work on something and knowing that it is for someone I love. I hope they appreciate it as much as I enjoy giving it!

I've got winter squash to get in the oven for canning, so I should wrap this up. I can't believe it's almost time for turkeys and pies! I made my first attempts at jam this summer, and ended up with raspberry, blueberry, peach, and some tasty strawberry ice cream topping. We cracked open the raspberry this week, and it is better than anything I've tasted from the store. I'll be making pumpkin butter again this fall, and I just picked up a bushel of apples for apple butter and applesauce. I got smart and ordered an apple peeler this year, so no more peeling apples at the sink for hours. I might even feel brave enough to conjure up a pumpkin pie! At this rate, it'll be summer before I get the boys' gifts done...

Exciting Times

Sorry it's been a few weeks; we've been moving! We moved from a 900 sq foot 2-bedroom apartment to a 1200 sq foot 3-bedroom over the last 2 weeks, and we're nearly done unpacking. A box here, a shelf there, and it'll all hopefully be done by Sunday evening. The great thing about our new place (besides the extra space) is that it'll have a room designated specifically for crafting and playing! The boys will have plenty of space for their toys where we can supervise them while we work on our projects. My hubby is in to constructing and painting miniatures for Warhammer, and we were always fighting over the limited flat area in our other apartment. I will have a table and closet and a beautiful pegboard to keep my sewing and yarn supplies, and he will have a huge shelf to store his things from little fingers, as well as a secluded work area.

The new place has gorgeous views of the pool (which is closed now), a grassy area with a rarely-used tennis court, and lots of trees, which we both love! You can't see anyone else on their balcony from our place, so it really feels like we're out in the woods or overlooking our own backyard. We love it!

It's pretty overcast today or I would post pictures, but hopefully when we get the craft/play room up and running I'll post a pic or two. In the meantime, I got an order for another viking hat and beard combo from Etsy last night, so I'll be working on that as soon as we get the boxes unpacked. I'm looking forward to sharing my project for the boys' birthday (which is coming faster than I realize!) with you, and wrapping that up in time to start on Christmas gifts!

Have a blessed day and enjoy your weekend! Fall is in the air, and time for scarves and hats is soon upon us!

A Rainy Day

I'm still playing catchup from my long absence, so I thought I would make another entry. It's been raining cats and dogs here the last few days, and watching the lightning outside tonight put me in the mood to write.

We don't have many girls in my family (there are 6 out of 22 grandchildren) and all of the babies born since I started knitting have been boys. Except one! My cousin's daughter recently gave birth to a tiny little girl, and the whole family couldn't have been happier. You should have seen all the ruffles and bows and pink and purple at the shower! Personally, I don't much care for those sorts of things, but I know there are those people out there that won't let their child put on anything unless it's covered in bows and glitter. 

So, when the new mother asked me to make a hat for her newborn pictures, I was happy to comply. I do have some pink yarn (it was given to me in a mixed bag), and she only wanted a little pink accent bow, so I still have plenty left...

I didn't have a pattern for the exact hat she wanted, so I took the photo and tried to find the closest thing I could. I added the bow (from this video tutorial) and crochet chain detail to this pattern and I think it turned out pretty close. I like the open weave of the body of the hat and can't wait to try this on a larger size someday. The precious sleeping baby makes it look even more adorable!

Little baby Wilson in her adorable little cap on the day she came home

As I mentioned, I still have plenty of the pink and white yarn, so I decided to make some matching little newborn mittens using this pattern. I like the set. I would like to make the mittens in a couple of other colors, maybe a really pale purple, and a soft baby yellow. Not that I have anyone to give them to at this time...

Mittens and cap in white and soft pink baby yarn

Since we don't have girls in the family, I have to live vicariously through my friends. I had two friends have baby girls over the last year as well, and I found a really cute and unique hat idea, using this pattern. The neat part about it is that you turn the finished product inside out! I thought that was clever, and not something you would normally think of. I also market the hat on my Etsy site as a tiny satchel, because once the little darling outgrows it, she can just tug on the drawsting to make a little pouch to house all her trinkets. I like the versatility :-)

Newborn textured baby hat/drawstring pouch

Since there are so many beautiful patterns and ideas out there for little girl items, I went a little crazy. I knew that one of my friends' little girls had no hair and that she was going to be wearing headbands and those little velcro bows on her fuzz for a while, so I had to test out a headband pattern as well. I didn't get a chance to see it on her, but I think because of the way it's made it would have stretched just fine. I had some bright pink leftover from the little Mary Jane's I made a while back, so I used it.

Little girls' headband in with Vanna's Choice in Pink Poodle

I think I'm pretty set on the little girl items for a little while. No one else I know is expecting, so I can concentrate on figuring out what to make for Christmas gifts, and the boys' birthday gift, which I'll write about soon. 

Have you found that your projects are a little one-sided on the gender scale? 

Another Day, Another Post

Writing yesterday got me in the mood to write even more! And since I've done so many projects since last summer, I have plenty to write about :-)

My last post before my absence was about these adorable knit baby pants. I've only met the little tyke once, but his newborn photo session turned out so cute! Unfortunately, the pants were a tiny bit large because he was born a few weeks premature, but I think the hat is a perfect accessory to this sleeping babe. Here he is!

He's a pretty cute dude, just like his cousins.

It's Been a While...

And boy, have I been busy! I don't think I could summarize all the projects I've completed over the last year, but I will do my best to post pictures of everything over the next few months. I kind of fell out of the blogging world for a while, so please excuse any faux pas.

The twins are getting so big and keeping Mommy and Daddy very busy. We go on outings, play games, sing songs, play music, read books, cook and bake, color, play with bubbles, and anything else that active 22 month olds like to do. I am working on a huge birthday gift for them, which I'll talk about more later, but for now, let's see some pictures!!

These are some of my favorite creations! The first jellyfish was a gift I made for my 2 year old nephew for Christmas last year, and he turned out so cute, I wanted to make one for my boys! I loved learning how to make the curlicues, and the bright colors helped use up some of my Red Heart Super Saver stash. I love making the unique faces on them as well, and the purple one has so many loooong tentacles. I do not let the boys play with this one unattended, as the tentacles could get wrapped up around their little necks, but they do love pulling on them all the time.

First jellyfish in Red Heart Super Saver yarn

Boys' jellyfish with Red Heart Super Saver yarn

The little turtle friend is one of my most prized creations; it is a completely original design and it could not have turned out better! I realized through making the others that the simple dome-shaped bodies could easily be turned into many other creatures. So, I started on him and I love everything about him. I wish he could stand up on his tiny legs like the octopus, but I'm not going to change anything unless I make another.

Turtle friend with Red Heart Super Saver yarn

The octopus was something that I saw on Pinterest, and thought, "I could make that, easy!" I used every last scrap of red yarn and even had to take some stitches out of a few legs so they would all be the same length. He is so huggable and the boys love dragging him around by his legs.

Octopus in Red Heart Super Saver Red

I hope this puts any doubts as to my commitment to yarn crafts to rest. While I haven't been posting, I have been working still. I've even got ideas for other neat sea creatures to create. There will be more catch-up posts to come, as well as posts about my current projects. All of these creatures will be posted to my Etsy site for purchase shortly. I also have been doing some updating and housecleaning there. Check it out, and leave me comments if you like any of these stuffed friends. 

What have you been working on the last month?