Christmas Wrap-Up 2010

So there wasn't too much Christmas knitting in 2010.  This year I knitted mainly for my niece and nephews: two hats and a vest (that's a total of three items compared to last year when I made about 7-8 items). And I made no scrapbook gift albums either (the last couple of years I've made at least a few for family).

Now for the details:
One item was a cute vest (you can read about it over at Blog Bernat or you can check out my Rav project page (Ravelry link) for more details).  It was my first experience with intarsia.

Monster Vest for Nephew

The other two projects were skull earflap hats from Bernat's new Roving e-book (pattern here at this link).  Intarsia was also required.  Needless to say, I'm done with intarsia for a while.  If skulls aren't your "thang", you could easily modify the pattern by replacing it with another motif or just leaving it plain (more details on my project page (Ravelry link).  This was also a Bernat project so you can read more over at the latest Blog Bernat post).

Earflap Skull Hat for Nephew

There's something about an decent earflap hat that speaks to me--maybe its the warmth factor?  In any case, I liked hat so much, I made another one for my niece. However, a plain old skull didn't seem girlish enough.  So I modified the motif.  In Bernat's e-book for Roving, I found a poncho pattern using a skull with bow--perfect for a girl! (see my project page (Ravelry link) for more details). 

Girlie Skull Hat for Niece

It would have been nice to make more gifts.  Doesn't a handcrafted gift seem more personal?  Of course not everyone enjoys or appreciates a knitted/crocheted item (although the scrapbooks have been well received).   If I planned for my gifts (knit, crochet or scrapbook) in January, would it all be completed in time for Christmas 2011?  Ha!  Now that would a great plan!   ;)

Oh the Shame of It All!

My level of knitting this week: Nada.  Zero.  Zilch.  I could have been knitting--perhaps better to say that I should have been knitting.  Instead I opted to scrapbook.  In my defense, I was making a gift (which should have been started in November instead of two weeks before Christmas).  At least 8 pages are now complete and I've assembled two small non-scrapped mini-albums of snapshots.

Do I feel a twinge of stress?  Sense of impending doom?  Well, that's too extreme, but I seriously need to get my ass in gear this weekend or I'll be up till midnight on Christmas Eve!

I'll bypass any detailed talk about Wednesday night.  Silly ol' me decided to walk home in a blizzard.  With no hat.  With no boots. (In all fairness the day had started with rain).  Thank heavens for woolen socks!  Needless to say, neither knitting nor scrapping took place that night.

So I'm off to finish my projects.  Hope your day is a good one and filled with Christmas cheer. :)

Making Merry, Good Cheer and All That

Yeah, Christmas cheer has come to my house at long last!  In dribs and drabs, the decorations have come out of hiding during the week.  Right now I'm listening to Nick at Nite's Classic Cartoon Christmas whilst I type on the laptop.  Earlier I went shopping for a few little items.  Wrapped a few presents (even finished some knits but I'll post those later).  Some of those gifts are heading to the post office on Monday.  Later I'm off to a staff Christmas party.  And apparently there's a winter mess--at the very least snow--heading our way sometime 'round midnight.  Tis the season after all.

Christmas is generally my favorite holiday.  Why so long to get into the seasonal spirit?  Why so lackadaisical this year?  Then it hit me: no snow.  I need snow to get into the season.  Usually we already have a sprinkling of the white stuff by now, but almost nothing thus far. 

Last year I was also making lots of ornaments.  I think that helped me get into the spirit.  The  little balls were a free pattern at Canadian Living website.  The pattern originally came from the book Handknit Holidays.

And the cutest mini-stockings.  I loved making them!  These were also a free pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits (who incidently makes the cutest toys!  You gotta check out her website).

And I even started a few items that never got finished.  I found the patterns in my MIL's old Canadian Living magazines circa 1980's (I guess the magazine used to put out an issue devoted solely to Christmas crafts and gifts).

I even finished knitting most of the pieces for the snowman and the reindeer too, but I just never got around to seaming and assembling.  Everything has been languishing in a ziploc bag.  Maybe when I'm off for the holidays . . . three more weeks! :)

Happy Birthday!

"Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me . . . . "

I wasn't expecting anything from dear ole hubby, except maybe a card from him and the boys. After all, I'd just ordered myself some birthday yarn online (It was my first online order--yay for me! I would sooo love to have a LYS in town. **sniff, sniff** Guess its the downside to living in a small town).

Happily I was surprised as I walked into the kitchen. My darling had left a small gift on the kitchen table. The pretty purple paper begged to be torn and ripped. Eagerly I obliged: Season 2 of The Office and the DS game Zelda: Phantom Hoursglass. Yay, what a sweetie!! My guy rocks!