Lynn Carson Harris

Reflections

Here we are at the end of another year. They seem to go by so quickly now. Isn't that something "old" people say?

 

I do like that there are dates, or markers, that encourage us to pause and look back; to reflect on the time that has passed.

 

We tend to assess the choices we have made and make plans for the future. We can put "bad" decisions or events behind us and look to the future.

 

We make plans for new beginnings and new adventures.

 

I hope the new year brings great things to you and your family.

Handmade Holiday

Here are a few of the handmade gifts given this year. This little sweater is for a doll.

I made one of these ascots a few years ago and really like it. The pattern is from a workbasket magazine from the 1940s. This one is made from alpaca. I should have looked in the mirror before taking the photo because I didn't have it on quite right.

 

There is just one toe left to knit on D's Christmas socks. I think I can finish that today.

B helped out a bit with our handmade gifts too. I couldn't find a frame that I liked for this print so he made one from some walnut he had in the basement.

 

He used old glass from a barn window and an old violin string for the hanging wire.

 

I think it turned out great.

I also consider my calendar handmade since I took the pictures. We gave a few of those too.

I think we did well to have a mostly handmade holiday.

edit: The print came from Jenny's Bake Shop on etsy. She has them in different sizes and colors.

Tea Towel Designs

P really enjoyed her grandmother's visit earlier this fall. She loved sitting next to her at the table and watching her embroider butterflies on a pillowcase. After grandma left P really wanted to make a special gift to give for Christmas. 

I was working on some embroidered tea towels to give as gifts and P decided that is what she wanted to do for her grandmother.

 

She drew out a very detailed picture that included people, flowers, and sky. I looked at it and told her it was a lovely drawing but that at the speed she embroiders would take a VERY long time to finish. I suggested that she finish one of the projects she has started and we could make a gift from that. No, she REALLY wanted to give grandma a tea towel.

I remembered some drawings she had done the day before of some vegetables. We looked at those and I suggested that we take those designs and applique them to a towel.

Carrots, a parsnip, and a beet.

 

P chose the fabrics and threads and helped at my sewing machine. I think it turned out pretty cute.

She drew these vegetables because they grow in our garden. We ate a lot of them while grandma was here. 

We had a wonderful time in the sewing room together thinking about grandma and being excited about the surprise we were making for her. Ah, THAT is what it's all about.

I'll share a few more of our hand made gifts tomorrow.

Elf Shoes

You may know that I can easily get sucked in to fads on the interwebs. Well, it happened again.

 

The last few weeks I had been seeing cute elf shoes in all sizes pop up on blogs and flickr streams.

 

So, on Christmas eve I asked my neighbor to download and print out the pattern for me (we don't have a printer).

 

I threw D's half knit Christmas socks in a box, wrapped them, tossed them under the tree and started knitting these.

 

I finished knitting them and felted them on the 26th.

 

P loves them. We even think they may posses magical powers.

 

I am already knitting a second pair and have another request after that.

I shall have to restrain myself a little so that I can finish D's socks before he heads back to college.

Thoughtful Sunday

"The qualities of leadership are not something you attain overnight."

Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Betty MacDonald, 1957.

Play Time

P and I had a play day today. I got to wear my fantabulous vintage apron that was in my stocking while we prepared a tea party with some of P's new (vintage) tea party stuff.  Ack. I can hardly stand the cuteness of it all --the "Three Little Kittens" dishes, those little ice cream bowls, and wood handle utensils. And don't you just love that tiny cake holder???!!!

 

We set out this morning making some tiny shortbread cookies.

 

After the first tray which only held four tiny cookies we switched to a slightly larger play tray. The tiny cookies bake in about half the time of the regular cookies.

 

We also made a tiny layer cake to fit in that little cake holder. With the cake, ice cream, cookies, and milk it was a fun party! And the servings weren't so big that they spoiled dinner.

Actually, the boys said that you could accidentally inhale one of those cookies and never even notice!

Boys.

What do they know? I guess that is why they were not invited to the party.

I hope you are having some fun play time.

Happy Christmas

We enjoyed a slow and quiet Christmas Day at home.

 

Still, it seems to be gone in a blur.

 

Have a great weekend.

My Little Angel

P an I were looking through this Christmas book and really liked some of the simple and classic decorations that were described.  We decided to try making the angel shown in the book but to use felt instead of paper. P was able to practice some stitching. She couched the rick rack, did some spectacular beading, learned to stitch X's, and even learned how to make French Knots.

 

I think they turned out pretty cute. I do wish I could have gotten the face and head on mine to look a bit more like the picture in the book. P really likes her angel because it has such a happy smile.

 

I hope you have a happy smile on your face today too.

Popcorn and Thank Yous

We have been enjoying family time. P has not been taking naps so much anymore but now likes when we pop a big bowl of popcorn and sit in our reading corner to read Christmas stories in the afternoon. I enjoy that quiet time too.

I also like my quiet time here, composing and sharing bits of our life that will help me remember these precious times later, when I am older and more feeble minded than I am now.

Thank you to all of you who visit and especially those who leave comments for me. I do enjoy hearing from you.

Thank you to those of you who have ordered my calendar. I am thrilled that you would want some of my photos on display all year. If you are still interested the 10% "humbug" discount code will be valid until the end of the year.

I also want to thank JEK at Scrumdilly-do and Bella Dia of The Crafty Crow for featuring P's cat bean bag tutorial. I am glad it is not just me, her mother, who thinks her little cat bags are the bee's knees.

Excited About New Yarn!

Do you remember when I posted about this future project? Well, I sent the photo to Chris and she custom dyed this wool! I can hardly wait to get started! I need to finish up a few more things but this is really calling me.

Chris had a booth right across from me at the craft show last weekend. It was fun to be able to chat and catch up. Sometimes it was a little difficult to hear her over the screaming calls of the yarn. In addition to the custom wool I came home with a few other things.

Three hanks of this fabulous wool jumped into my bag. Chris said she dyed it for me the same day as the rose yarn. She thought it would look good on me. I think she is right. I put it in my bag before I knew she had dyed it with me in mind! How perfect is that? I plan to make a pull over sweater for myself out of this.

I am eager to spin this Blue Face Leicester roving.  I know it will look different from the dyed yarn.

And, because it called to me from across the hall, I picked up this pink and brown wool.

I think finishing so many projects in the last few weeks has me ready to start some knew projects after Christmas. I am looking forward to some comfort knitting this winter. I may even participate in the Knitting Olympics this year.

Are you getting excited about any new projects?

I hope you have a  happy Winter Solstice. Remember, after today the days are getting longer. It is a good thing to keep in mind while shoveling snow the rest of the winter. Each day is a little longer than the one before. That is what gets us through until spring - that and the knitting.