Christmas Gift Hats

Like many others, I had a huge running list of projects to complete for Christmas gifts this year. It was so much fun crossing each completed item off the list.

There was only one (rather intense and tedious) project that had to be put off to wait for gifting it another time so that everything else could be accomplished. A story for another post.

My dear sister-in-law encourages my love of crafting.*

She often sends me adorable patterns or items she'd love to someday make for her kids. However, with 3 little ones, she doesn't have an abundance of free time. So sometimes I just steal her ideas and make them for her instead. It all works out, and she's never (yet!) been upset at me for it. And I can't pass up snagging someone else's creativity since I've always been the first to admit that I can't come up with anything new on my own.

Since they've moved to a colder area than where they were, bundling the kids up is a priority. Having fun doing it makes it even better; therefore, fun hats were a must for this year.

Even though two of them leave a little room to grow, they look pretty pleased with how they turned out!

The two boys have earflaps to keep their ears toasty, and sweet niece has braids to hopefully shut out a little wind (though it's already looking a little snug! =( Bummer!)

Each hat became its own creation with many on-the-fly modifications, so I have no pattern suggestions for you. I hope they enjoy them!

*...side note: do you have that person(s) in your life that really spurs you on in your creativity and crafts? We all know those that don't particularly love or appreciate our handmade gifts, and that's ok. But often, there is someone that truly understands and appreciates the time, effort, and quality/craftsmanship that you pour into projects. Well, I have a couple of those dear people in my life, and my sister-in-law is one of them.

World's Biggest Stocking

Caron United is setting out to make the World's Biggest Stocking.

Source

Anyone participating?

You knit or crochet a 36x36" blanket (following their pattern of a solid block or a 9-square pattern) using Caron United yarn. Mail it in, and they'll sew together the stocking. Once completed, they'll disassemble the parts and give the blankets to military families.

Care to join?

Sweetness

They're always so sweet when they are sleeping! Since he's still sleeping this morning, I declare this an 'awww' moment of motherhood. Forgive my veering off crafts for this.

I just came across this picture looking for a Christmas doily that I wanted to post.

...never did find a picture of that doily. I'm afraid that I gave it as a gift before remembering to take a picture. =(  So you just get this wrong-time-of-year photo instead.

Dinosaur Pillow

How did this one get missed?

This was a gift for our nephew.

Denim blue "I Love This Yarn" for the pillow cover - 2 strands for durability and coverage

Lime green and dark green for the dinosaur - Pattern mostly followed from here

His little Dino Smile is so cute!

Octopus

Here's another little Christmas gift I made. This one was for our precious niece.

Too bad there isn't any perspective in this photo! It's such a cute and tiny little octopus!

That reminds me... I still haven't posted a picture of her blanket. Maybe this week. =)

Poinsettia Doily

Another gift I made was this Poinsettia Doily in a gorgeous deep red.

A straight-on shot:

Hubby and I both liked the way the 'petals' seemed to swirl from the center, so I did not attempt to force them straight (as the pattern suggested). This was his favorite doily of the ones I made for gifts. ...maybe it's his all-time favorite, I never asked for clarification. It's just nice to have someone like what you've made!

First Snow Doily

My only white doily made for Christmas! (not that I didn't love the other colors I used, I just always thought of doilies as traditionally white...before I started making them)

The pattern is Winter's First Snow. Thus the choice of white. =)

A straight-on shot:

This is possibly Size 5 Thread, but I don't know for sure. It hasn't had a label in years. It is slightly thicker than Size 10 Thread. Do you think the thicker thread causes it to lose too much detail? I'm wondering so that I can mark my pattern for if I ever make it again.

Regardless of the thread, I enjoyed working on this pattern.

Lavendar Lagoon Doily

This was my first doily made with a variegated thread. Maybe it's a bit too small to appreciate the colors, but I didn't want to go too big for it. I used the Blue Lagoon pattern.

This thread is a thinner size than the last time I made this pattern, so I added an extra round before the Rnd 9 (increasing the ch sp by 1).

Personalized Map Gift

Finally something new!!! I'm so excited to be able to show some of the gifts I've made that have now been given.

First off: a little sentimental framing.

I saw the idea on another blog, so I don't know to whom credit belongs for the original idea. The three hearts are labeled 'we met', 'we married', and 'we live' with maps showing those places in the couple's history. If I was fancy, I would have printed it in a fancy font or something, but I wanted to keep it simple. Leftover coordinating paper and silver Sharpie worked very well.

We were even able to find some free maps to use. Score! ...and less guilt for me when having to cut it up.

Hmmm...dear friend, those hearts look a little familiar, don't they? In September, a friend of mine (who shall remain unnamed to protect the innocent... until she speaks up... ;-) ) saved me HOURS of time by using her Cricut to make matted cut-outs for an Iris Folding Tutorial I was doing for close to 20 people. There were a few leftover that fit perfectly into this frame we found at Michaels. (Hey, speaking of which... when did they take the apostrophe out of their store name? I just realized the change today. Get with the program, Mindy!)

Other than the initial confusion that they thought the 'point' of the heart actually pointed to the location rather than just being centered in the heart (which is what we chose to do), I think the gift was well received. Tiny oops. Oh well.

Christmas Wreath Reminder

If you're looking for a little extra something for your Christmas gift tags or maybe a quick ornament gift, try this pattern.

It works really well with a little school picture glued to the back with the precious face peeking through!

Christmas Projects

There has been a LOT of crocheting going on around here. A mini 'girls weekend' provided tons of crochet time.

...except there weren't 400 of us. Source

Where's the proof, you ask? Well, here's the thing. Recently someone told me that so-and-so told them that I have a knitting blog...

ahem...

Let's get one thing straight here:

I. Don't. Knit.

Source

I happen to like my eyes staying right where God placed them, so this seems like a safe plan for me.  (We'll ignore the Broomstick Lace for now since I still fear for my throat every time I have to lean forward while working on it...)

Once it was clarified that I crochet and couldn't actually help answer her knitting question, I had to wonder how these people knew about this blog and if they'd ever seen it.

Contrary to popular belief, there can be a certain amount of anonymity to the blogosphere. A few close friends and a family member or two know about my blog, but there are very few people in my life that know or care about this 'lil ol' place.' I kind of like it that way. I can interact with tons of talented people and not be embarrassed by my limited abilities because nobody in blog-land cares, right!?!

Which begs the question: what about you? How many of your friends and family know about or read your blog on a regular basis?

Tangent over. Back on track.

What does any of this have to do with proof of my crochet projects?

Well, it has all made me wonder how many other people know about this blog without me realizing it. Therefore, with many Christmas gifts just finished up, I can't actually post them until I'm sure the gifts are received and the surprises won't be spoiled.

So, I'm sorry that it's been so quiet around here. All in good time, I suppose.

I did recently finish a project for myself. It will be posted soon. Speaking of knitting needles...

Handmade Holidays

I'm linking up our ArtFire shop, PF Creations, to Sarahndipities' collection of online shops for handmade gifts.

Check out her blog to find lots of great gift ideas for Christmas!

Queen Anne's Lace Scarf

This was a quick and easy little project that finished up an almost-full skein that was leftover from a blanket. I love how it turned out!

It's a soft pink color in I Love This Yarn. I found the pattern here. The yarn was just structured enough to not hide the pretty pattern, but it's soft enough to not give you the 'itchy neck' issues.

Hubby wonders if it's too short to give as a Christmas gift. Should I consider adding a couple motifs to each end in a contrasting color to lengthen it? Or should I just leave it alone and let it be more decorative than practical (as far as wrapping it around the neck)? I welcome your input!

Snowflake

Once again, I've been doing lots of crocheting and not much blogging!

Here's a snowflake I made a couple weeks ago.

Pre-blocking:

Blocking process:

It's true. I don't have an actual 'blocking board' as of yet... This old folded up pair of jeans worked for such a small project.

The pattern can be found here.

It has crossed my mind to spray it with some type of sparkly-something, otherwise, all it really needs is a pretty ribbon, and you have a cute little ornament!

Tiny Christmas Wreath Pattern

It was recently brought to my attention that I have a picture of the little Christmas Wreath made from a milk jug ring, but I don't have the pattern posted with it!

Since this person wanted to make them for 19 students, she had to get working on them soon. So I thought I'd post the "pattern," such as it is, to make it available for anyone needing to get a head start on making several.

Please don't panic--you did NOT sleep through summer. It is STILL only June, this is just for those that like to plan ahead.

Materials: Size G hook, milk jug ring, green yarn, red ribbon/yarn

Round 1: Start with a milk jug ring; sc all the way around it sliding them together fairly snugly as you go so it is completely covered. Sl st to join.

Round 2: Ch 3; 3 dc in each st around. If the wreath is becoming too gathered, then after about 2 or 3 stitches, do 2 dc in next sc (and back to 3 dc in next 2 or 3) until it is the fullness that you like. Join with sl st to top of ch 3. Ch 15 and sl st to top of ch 3; finish off.

Tie a red ribbon or strand of yarn just under the hanging loop for the extra touch of color!

If this doesn't make sense or if you have a question, just ask! If you make any, send me a picture--I love to see how others make similar projects. =)

Last straggler

Going through old pictures, I realized I hadn't posted the last Iris Folding samples I had made.

Simple oval shape:

Christmas Bell:

Despite my Christmas sample made, it looks like summer might arrive in Wisconsin after all. Hope everyone is enjoying the weather change--whichever direction it is going in your corner of the world!

Coffee Cup Collars, Christmas Style

Friday evening was just a perfect amount of time to tie up loose ends.

I had started a Coffee Cup Collar on Thanksgiving to be festive for Christmas. Christmas presents then took over. I finally made the matching one. ;-) A little slow, but at least it got done!

Christmas and Candy Cane Coffee Cup Collars (alliteration, anyone?)

These may show up in our ArtFire shop, soon! (Someone may have already staked a claim on the red and white one, but others are available there.)

A post where I babble a lot

Some days you're pulled many directions, and some days they all converge.

Going back before Christmas, we spent all day, every day for almost 2 weeks at my in-laws' house. We still slept at home, but it was a chunk of time where we were not really "home" to catch up on anything.

It was such a BLAST! At any given point, there were over 20 people hanging out eating amazing food, playing games, doing kid crafts (I'll post that later), playing in the snow, watching movies, shopping (lots!), etc.

 In the process of all that fun, we also had some generous sick germs. Blech. I'm at the end of it, and I'm NOT throwing up (yet), so you won't hear me complaining. It could have been SO much worse. It just makes catching up on sleep a little difficult after all the activities.

In other news:
Earlier in the month, I had noticed that I was having a tooth/gums problem that just wouldn't go away. I called the dentist on Friday and scheduled an appointment for today.

I'll spare you that picture. You're welcome.

Last night, I had a great laugh at my idiocy when I realized that I didn't have a vehicle today to get to that appointment! Lovely and brilliant. =P  8:00 this morning, I put in a desperate call for my mom to save me. Thankfully, she was able to pop out of work for a few minutes to help me out.

Unfortunately, the dentist looked at my mouth and knew right away what the problem would be (but not without a little uncomfortable prodding first *shudder*). Here's a card for a periodontist for them to do a tissue graft from the roof of your mouth (I can barely type this right now...) to the spot on your gums that is pulling away. Why do I suddenly feel 180 years old? All this to process on my overtired brain?!

However, I notoriously look for the good in things, and this is no exception. What a blessing that they can take care of this for me before it actually causes tooth pain or damage! I'm dreading the fact that I have to wait so long to go in for this, but I'm resting in 3 things. 1. God is good. 2. The mouth is the fastest healing part of your body. 3. This will be a short term pain for long term health. I like being prepared.

The only downside is the wait. Oi. There is too much happening between now and then, and I'm anxious for it to be off my mind.

Upside: I guess if I have some recuperation time where I can't talk or eat much, then I'll have some serious crafting time on my hands, and I'll be on the road to fitting nicely into that gorgeous dress in March after all this BAD (read: amazingly, incredibly, sinfully delicious) Christmas food I've been eating.

Anyone ever have this procedure done? Is it the worst thing I'll ever experience?

OK, now that I've gotten that off my mind, hopefully I'll stop worrying about it.

Bookmark Christmas Gift

This is another of the projects that I had to wait to post. It's a thread and ribbon crocheted bookmark.

I found the pattern here. I really liked making this one! I might have to make one for myself sometime since I'm forever looking for a receipt or postcard or slip of paper to use... ;-)

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and is ready to gear up for the New Year! We're still celebrating with lots of extended family, so I'll have to catch up with all of your projects soon.

Recent Crochet Projects

I was finishing up testing another pattern for SmoothFox when my hubby's cousin asked about something like a neckwarmer. I had Marie Anne's neckwarmer pattern open on a tab for several days wanting to find some time to try it, so I told Hannah I'd make one for her.

Merry Christmas Eve, Hannah!

The headbands I most recently finished were also for Hannah...I think she likes the neckwarmer more. ;-)  ...or maybe it's just that warm southern blood that keeps it around her neck all day every day!

Great Pop LOVED the hat (though by the picture, you'd think otherwise!)

Where's that big grin you always have? Oh well. It sounds like he might wear it occasionally (if Great Grandma will let him), so maybe I'll have another chance at a smiling shot.

This necklace and bracelet set

...was a big crowd hit, but apparently we were having to pass the camera back and forth too much, so we didn't get an opening-the-gift picture. Maybe we'll have to save it for another shot of her modeling it.

Well, I've just been searching way too long for a long lost picture, and it's time to get moving. More pictures and stories for another time. We've been away from home all this past week, so it hasn't left much time for sleeping, let alone blogging. =( But there's still LOTS to show you, so I'll keep checking in with little snippets along the way.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!