small gifts

I cannot take credit for this idea.  I first saw these little pencil cozies on WhiMsy love (probably through Pinterest) but the etsy shop she linked to seems to be inactive.

My plan is to make a whole bunch of these right now for random little gifts throughout the year (and I think a few for stocking stuffers).  I am bound and determined to finish up a few tiny projects like this early on in the year and stash them away.

I have 12 so far, because I think 3 wrapped together will be a nice little gift.

They are on Ravelry over here if you want to add them to your queue.

I made mine using a ball of sock yarn from my stash, so without changing yarns, I get all these different little cozies.  I used nine stitches (in stockinette) on size 2.75mm needles.  They take around 15 or 20 minutes each with sock yarn, and I think I may give them a go with worsted too.

It took my about 4 or 5 tries to get the right size, and initially I was trying to do it with i-cord but it was a little too messy.  I switched to stockinette and I'm sewing them up in place on the pencil.

And here is my newest style of yarn bowl.  I like a yarn bowl that lets me rest my project in it, rather than just having the yarn in the bowl and the project on the side.  My little sock yarn ball is a little small for this particular yarn bowl (I think some tiny yarn bowls are in order).  It will be great for worsted weight.  

And incidentally, this bowl happens to be listed in my etsy shop if you need one.

Joining my friends today at:

Keep Calm Craft On, at Frontier Dreams
Yarn along at small things
 I just started Wuthering Heights last night...I have never, ever read it before.

Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder
Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia
From the Farm Hop

I'm back...

I've been gone for entirely too long, but I'm back and ready to go...

Just a quick update today to say my etsy shop is back up and running and new items have been listed today.

 Three new sets of buttons for those handmade items you work so hard on.

And HALF PRICE, 

a set of 6 hand made, refillable candle pods currently poured with 100% beeswax.

Every year I tell myself that in order to spread out my holiday preparations, I'm going to tuck away a few stocking stuffers each month or a few hostess/ thank you gifts and every year I forget part way through the year.  I figure if I offer some of my own, I'll remember to stock up at the same time.  So- here's the first offering...with 6 in the set, you can keep a few to light up the winter months and you can pack a few away for the next holidays.  They work out to be only $7.00 a piece and make a lovely gift.

Linking up with:
Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams

A bit of this, a bit of that...

I have finished the first gift for the Winter Solstice/Christmas stash.  Itty bitty little stitches...52" of them...

 ...I finally ironed it at 4:00 a.m. today so that I could make sure it wasn't all twisted before I cast off.

It seriously took me all of January to knit this tie, but I love the finished product, and I know a certain little dapper fellow will too.  Having said that, if I decide to make another, I don't think I will use sock yarn.

February's project is washcloths.  I cast this one on according to the pattern (which called for 63 stitches of worsted weight cotton.  It's huge!   I will finish this one the way it is, but the next couple will be cast on with maybe 43 stitches.  I will pair them up with a pottery soap dish and a bar of fantastic handmade soap. I am hoping to get four of these done this month.

 On the pottery front - the first teapot pod (teapod?) is finished.  N thinks it looks like a genie lamp, but I like it none-the-less.  There will be more - possibly with a shorter spout.  It's still drying.

 Test spoons.

Test pods.  Nothing is glazed yet.

And just because I thought this was hilarious...N was using this work space last night.  A dremel, chisel, a bunch of very sharp utility knives and blades, and a stuffed knit penquin!  One of these things is not like the others.  You may recognize Linda's penquin.

Linking up with: Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

                        Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder

Handmade Holidays - slippers #2

S asked for a pair of argyle slippers in his stocking.   I haven't been able to find a pattern that suits, so I thought these "gentlemanly looking slippers" would fit the bill if I add a little bit of a diamond pattern on top.

 Just like slippers # 1, these are acrylic...but that's because S does.not.like.wool. (Wha???)

 I plan to use some black and white to add in a diamond/argyle pattern outline on the flat panel on top, but for now, they are in the Christmas bin until I finish up a few other projects.

The pattern is available as a free download on ravelry

but I originally found them over here on Pinterest, of course.

This is exactly how I will make my own pair when I'm all done with the Christmas knitting.

How are your handmade holiday projects coming along?

Handmade Holidays: slippers #1

I hadn't planned on knitting any slippers this year for Winter Solstice/ Christmas, but both boys surprised me by requesting some.  N asked for tall slippers like the ones I made last year, but I don't have an extra felted wool sweater to cut, so I made these instead:

For this year, sizing is pretty easy, since both boys' feet are almost exactly the same size as mine.

Next year...who knows.

I have a feeling these will be called "Nanaimo bar slippers".

They are knit flat and then seamed, an easy process and they have been knit for a week or so but I couldn't find some sneaky time to seam them up.  I just finished last night.  For all you experiences knitters out there - I am sure you can tell these were done in acrylic.  *Gasp*.  There's a reason for that...N is notorious for throwing his handknits in the laundry bin along with everything else even though we have a bag for woolens. 

I first came across the image over on this Pinterest pin but it took some serious tracking down to find the actual pattern.  Here is the link to the free pattern by way of The Seamen's Church Institute.

Just a note: the picture on the pattern doesn't look a whole lot like these, but they do take shape once you put them on your feet.

Happy handmade holiday making to you...

Linking up with: Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams
                        Fiber Arts Friday at Wisdom Begins in Wonder
 

Handmade Holidays - Stuffies

Today's edition of Handmade Holidays is brought to you by my wonderful sister "A" and her equally wonderful husband "B".  They have made the most lovely stuffies for the babies of family and friends.   B drew out the patterns - kind of a cross between a live animal and a cartoon...and then they upcycled some clothes and fabric remnants to come up with great combinations.

 Sea turtle

 Whale

Elephant

Lots of elephants...I love their tails tied up in a knot.

If you would like to make your own, she has generously shared photos of the hand-drawn patterns with me, but I don't know how to share them with you other than just showing them here:

I wondered how they were able to get the ear inserted...the head and body are two separate pieces with the ear sandwiched in between.  The elephants have different fabrics on each side, as well as different fabrics for the ears - for the full tactile experience.

 For the sea turtle, the spots were sewn on first, and then the body was assembled (the arms and legs are tucked in there as well-and sewn right into the seam).

The whale's fins(?) are also tucked into the seam.

I can't help but wonder if one lucky person is getting this matching set.

Is anyone else getting busy with their holiday crafting?  I have a few projects on the go...it's just hard to finish them up now that the boys stay up later - less "secret crafting" time.  I have taken to bringing a project to work for lunch time but not much progress happens in just 15 minutes at a time.

Incidentally, all of my Handmade Holidays posts to date can be found on this pinterest board.

Linking up with:  Keep Calm Craft on over at Frontier Dreams 

                          Fiber Arts Friday over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder

                          Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

The big muffin.

Quick post today.  

I love giving baked goods for the holidays, but sometimes people have had enough cookies and fruit loaves.

Enter - the big muffin.

 If you have a pottery cereal bowl, it is the perfect size to bake "the big muffin" in.  Most pottery bowls are oven, dishwasher, and microwave safe.

The "big muffin" serves 4 comfortably, depending on the recipe and how full you fill the bowl. For comparison, the muffin on the right is from my largest muffin tin. I usually just do one at the same time as a batch of regular muffins - 24 mini muffins plus one giant muffin = a standard recipe for 12 muffins, or make one giant muffin and 6 to 8 regular muffins.

Toss it in a basket with a little homegrown tea, a mug, and a few pieces of fruit and you have a great gift for a hostess, teacher, neighbour, friend.  Or just simply put one into a cellophane bag and tie it closed with a ribbon and tag.  You could also gift it right in the bowl.

I'm testing out a few flavours that work for "the big muffin".  You want to pick a recipe that makes a rather moist muffin as the extra baking time can dry out some varieties.  Spiced oatmeal did not work very well.  Pina colada was delightful, blueberry cream was pretty good, and we haven't busted open the bran chocolate chunk but that's the one in the picture.

Happy baking, my friends.

Linking up with: Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia 

 

Craft Show Prep meets Handmade Holidays

Craft show prep that will do double duty once the time comes for holiday decorating.

My next craft show is a mere 3 and a half weeks away.  I still have some work to do in the display department, so yesterday I got to it.  I scavenged up some large branches in the backyard and just chopped them up into random lengths.

This will give me the height variations I am looking for without filling up my table with boxes or larger blocks.

 Plus it gives me the versatility to add in some fresh elements if I can get my act together in time.

 They are absolutely perfect for displaying my tiny itty bitty items - like these fairy/gnome dish sets I am working on...

 ...without them getting lost on a large table.

And then when the holidays get here, I can use them again...

I only set up a small portion of it here since I was a little rushed for time, but picture this three or four times times longer...won't it be nice on my dining room shelf?  I might add in little containers of greens too.

I think I have plenty of blocks cut.

The inspiration came from this picture I found on Pinterest, but as far as I can tell, this is the original source.

Maybe I can convince someone to cut me some great big logs?  I don't use the chainsaw.

How are your handmade holiday preparations coming along?

Linking up with:  Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams
                          The backyard Farming Connection - Hop
                          Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia
                          From the farm blog hop at Fresh Eggs Daily
                          Homemade Monday on Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity 

DIY Birch branch packaging from cereal boxes

Handmade Holidays - another packaging upcycle...

I like to get as many things as possible ready in advance once the holiday season approaches.  I like to wrap gifts early to get them out of my closet, BUT, I don't like having them under the tree early as I think it puts too much emphasis on the gifts, and over stimulates children.  I think I have come up with a solution:

 

These faux birch branches can go out early, as part of the decorations, and I am the only one who will know they are stuffed with little gifts.  They are pretty easy to make, too:

You will need:  cereal boxes (one box makes one branch, but 2 boxes makes 3 branches)

                        a tube to wrap the cardboard around - the "shaper" (I used a tube of caulking)

                        a circle to trace that is larger than your tube (I used a mason jar lid) 

                        carpenter's glue

                        white paint, paint brush, brown markers (or black)

Note:  You can make a short, thick branch, or a longer thin branch depending on which way you wrap your cardboard...just keep it in mind when painting (to follow).

Cut your cereal box to the size you need to fit around the tube, making sure to leave enough space to overlap.  Using white craft paint, lightly brush on streaks to represent the paper-like birch bark.

 Continue layering on the paint until you have the look you like.

Loosely wrap the "bark" around your tube "shaper", run a bead of carpenter's glue along the edge and use rubber bands to secure it in place. Allow it to dry completely before pulling out your "shaper".

Add some birch markings to your "branch" using markers, pencil crayons, or paint.

 

Trace your "shaper" onto the cardboard and then trace a larger ring around it. Use a pencil, and mark it lightly so that it won't show when you are done (or mark it on the patterned side).  Here, I traced the caulking tube for the inner ring, and the mason jar lid for the outer ring.  Note: you want your cap to fit INSIDE your finished cardboard tube, so when cutting your notches, you want to go all the way inside the inner line.

Draw on the notches that you need to cut, as in the picture above.  If you are doing this with a child, I recommend marking the cutouts all the way around.  If you are doing it yourself, you can eyeball it.
Cut the notches.  I didn't go far enough here, so I had to go back and cut the slits a little longer, to go to the inside of the inner ring.

Draw the growth rings on the cap.  I made mine all wonky and freehand, but you could use a stencil or compass if you like.

Bend down all of your tabs, making sure to bend them far enough to fit inside your bark tube.

Run a bead of glue inside the tube, close enough to the edge that your tabs will reach.

Insert your cap and let it dry.

 Insert your little gift.

Glue the remaining cap on the other end.

Ta-LAAA!  A couple of little presents that will be camoflauged as decorations.  Sneaky sneaky.  I plan to do this with anything that will fit in the tubes...I would like a good little pile of them.  I might even leave some empty ones on top.

Linking up with:  Keep Calm Craft On over at Frontier Dreams.

                          Wildcrafting Wednesday at Mind Body and Sole 

                          Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia

                          From the Farm Hop at Fresh Eggs Daily

                          Homemade Monday on Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity