It's The Little Things...

Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. I've crafted only a very few, and very small gifts for this holiday season. I'm a little bit gift-challenged; I obsess and fret and worry that I've not done enough or gotten the right thing. This is in conflict with my desire to make gifts, as MY handmade gifts never seem quite sufficient to ME. I get around this by giving handmade stuff either in addition to store bought (crazy, I know-I'm working on it), or by making things to give away when a gift is neither required nor expected. That way, it doesn't matter that it's just handmade.

My very special friends in Berkeley, who will be having their annual dinner at Bucci's without me next week, will each be getting a bookmark. The light was extraordinarily crappy this week, as I tried to get photographs of these before sending them off.

They were fun to make and it gave me lots of pleasure to imagine The Moms, sitting around the table, drinking Cosmopolitans, and unwrapping these. (The first year I had to miss one of these dinners, I printed a photo of myself, drink in hand, and mounted it on cardboard so it could "sit" at the table with my friends. My desire not to be forgotten is pathetic great, I know.)

Six Bookmarks

Yarn: Perle Cotton #5, assorted colors, less than 1 skein for each
Needles: US #0
Hooks: I think I used a 2.1 mm, but it might have been something else
Crochet Patterns: Fan Bookmark, Shell Bookmark (That's a Ravelry link)
Knitting Pattern: I just made this one up using the Melon Stitch pattern from VLT
Most Fun: Picking out beads for each of them!

By the time I had finished and mailed the bookmarks, I had rather warmed to the idea of making gifts. I actually have a gift sock on the needles, but as it's the first of two, I've accepted that it won't be gifted by this Chanukah (and it's ok, I already bought and mailed the real gift.) That left me free to cast on for another sweater...

ornament! I love these wee tree decorations. This one is made from that recycled silk that was so popular a few years back. It's sort of on the funky side, but I love it. And the great thing is, it's going to a woman who totally appreciates hand made gifts. (She's getting a big Fruitcake, too!)

Jen's Sweater Ornament

Yarn: Recycled Silk
Needles: US#8 DPNs
Pattern: Last year I made a few of these by following Jared's recipe, more or less. Shortly after I posted about them, kt sent me mail and asked for help. Luckily, I was able to find my response to her and followed my own directions, which I would otherwise have had to re-figure out.
Best Thing About This Project: Near-Instant gratification!

I Know The Rule: Don't Hang Sweaters!

But sometimes a rule just needs to be broken..

I saw Jared's sweater ornaments a few days ago, and could not resist casting on for my own. And then I made another for a gift.

So here I am making Christmas ornaments, even though I have a sort of love/hate relationship with Christmas trees. I grew up NOT celebrating Christmas, but since my husband did, it has become part of our family tradition. And a big part of that tradition is: The Tree. I enjoy other people's trees, and I like ours when everyone else has gone to bed on Christmas Eve and I am alone with it as I stuff stockings and perform other elfish duties. But by the light of day on the 26th I'm ready to shove it out the door. This has worked well for us in past years as we've hosted the holiday at our home away from home. We've arrived right before the holiday and left shortly after. Not a lot of tree-time. This year, for the first time since moving back to Alaska 2.5 years ago, we'll be staying put for the holidays .. specifically Christmas.

My meager ornament collection is thousands of miles from here, but I'm thinking simple white lights and a hand knit sweater. This just might be my kinda tree.

Sweater Ornaments

Pattern: I followed Jared's instructions, more or less.
Needles: US size 5 dpns
Red Yarn: Tahki, Chelsea Silk. I've had this yarn FOREVER (20 plus years, anyway.). Much of it is in a never to be finished vest, long out of style. The yarn is a little musty, and I've been reluctant to reuse it. But my washed ornament seems fine. This little sweater has provided the added bonus of uncovering some lovely yarn for a new project.
Brown-multi Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, of course.
My Favorite part: I love everything about these, but I'm especially smitten with the tiny hangers I fashioned.