Holiday Knitting

I'm sure most people on my Christmas list appreciate the fact that I don't always do handmade gifts for everyone, every year. I try to alternate (unless money is impossibly tight). There are also few surprises, especially for knitted gifts, because I've learned that - at least for my people - it's best to find out if what I have in mind is something they'll actually use. (I'd much rather be told "no," than spend time and use yarn for something that's not going to be used/appreciated.)

Last year, I contacted the moms of kids on my list to see if any of them might want hats and, if so, what style. Some said "yes," some said "no." Those whose parents thought they'd appreciate hats, got fun hats. Those whose parents did not think so, did not get anything knitted.

This year, I'm getting a late start, but in my defense I didn't think I had that much knitting to do. Once I started making the list, and had a couple of conversations, I found out how wrong I was! Most of these gifts aren't surprises, so I thought I'd share some of my plans, in case other were looking for ideas.

First on the list is a young lady who wants the same kind of hat I knit for her guardian (mom??) last year. My goddaughter, at the ripe old age of 21, has become legal guardian to a high-schooler. I've been assured that this doesn't make me a "grand-" anything, but I'm happy to add K to my Christmas list. Like I said, she wants the same kind of hat I knit for Sarah last winter. Sarah, in turn, asked for flip-top/convertible mittens. And K would like the same, please, in her color (pink).

• This Slouchy beret is not tough to knit and it works up fast on size 11 & 13 needles. I might go down a needle size, because I'll be using 2 strands of worsted-weight (Cascade 220 Superwash) instead of the bulky it calls for.
• Peekaboo Mitten (Ravelry-only link, sorry!) - I plan on knitting a pair of these myself. But for now, I need 2 pairs.
• He's not a boyfriend - he's my goddaughter's fiance - but The Boyfriend Hat (aka Hat Fit for a Boyfriend on Ravelry) is also in the queue. Planned yarn is more Cascade 220 Superwash.
• I hope to get this monster, Olivia, knit up for honorary niece, M, and add a little tutu, like some of the images show. M takes ballet and I think she'll get a kick out of it. (If you like this pattern, check out the multi-pattern deals available in the shop. I believe all of her patterns are also available via Ravelry downloads.)

I kind of still owe at least one hat from last year (have had a rough time getting my hands on the right yarn), have a couple of things in mind for John, and one other Christmas hat. While I wait for my yarn order to get here from Oregon, I'm still plugging away on a pair of socks for me. I love how they fit (sock #2 is about 65% finished)!

Other "me" knitting: My favorite scarves have turned out to be basic ribbed numbers in squishy soft yarns. Add to that the fact that I finally learned how to do a basic cable, and this "Rib Rib Cable" scarf is a natural choice.

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Emergency Yarn Ornaments - Now in PDF form

This isn't new; it's a "pattern" (really a tutorial) I created a few years ago and posted on my old blog. But I've always meant to convert it to a PDF and make it available for download -- other things just always got in my way. Recently, people have been having trouble accessing the original blog post, so I finally got my butt in gear and finished the PDF. It's not perfect, but it's not that bad, either.

I originally called it the "Emergency Knitter's Ornament." I know of at least one person who did, indeed, break open the glass to get at the yarn. But she was nine and loved pretty yarn to knit with, so I cut her some slack.

Now, called "Emergency Yarn Ornament" (because "yarn" is shorter than "knitter's/crocheter's/weaver's/spinner's/dyer's"), the pattern is currently hosted on Ravelry as a free download. You should be able to obtain it using the following link:

download Emergency Yarn Ornament now

This is the ideal time of year to churn out a bunch of these. The clear glass ornaments are available at most "big box" craft stores and are frequently on sale.

Limitations: Only one store currently has permission to print and distribute copies of these (Nestucca Bay Yarns, in Oregon). Otherwise, making more than the necessary couple for personal use is a no-no. (Giving a copy to a friend who isn't online a lot is fine. Printing out stacks to hand out anywhere is not.) Store owners interested in an approved copy (with store logo added) to distribute should contact me. See PDF for the traditional copyright notice.

If you do make some, and are on Ravelry, please add them to your notebook. I really love seeing what other people turn out!

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Hats in Action

Last week, I received a photo text message from my pal Jdub, with a pic of her stepdaughter, R, modeling her new hat. (All images used with permission.) Later that day, R called me to tell me, first of all, how "impressed" she was with the packaging (she IS her father's daughter; he was fascinated and I had to explain how I did it), and of course to thank me for the hat. I'm glad I took off the braid!

Details
Pattern: Meathead Hat by Larissa Brown, from the book Knitalong.
Yarn: Lion Brand Jiffy Thick & Quick in Raspberry

Over the weekend, I received a message with this picture in it, and was so very relieved to find out that R's brothers liked their hats! (Tween & teen boys are not easy to predict.)

Details
Pattern: Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur. Since I can't crochet at all I didn't do the crochet edging, but instead picked-up-and-knit all the way around, then cast off.

Yarn: Lion Brand Jiffy Solid in Red, Orange & Silver.

What the future holds
Since '08 was the year of handcrafted gifts for the kids, '09 will be store bought (as long as finances allow (I found out yesterday that I got a 20% pay cut)). After that, I figure I'll only do knitted (or sewn) gifts for the older kids by request. (My goddaugher, who is 20, asks for things now.)

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Gift Parcels in Action

Some friends are on their way here to celebrate Christmas with us. I spent a good portion of yesterday finishing up a couple of gifts and wrapping everything. We went from an estimated twelve people total (including us) to four, so it will be a quieter and calmer afternoon than anticipated. Some of the items are crafty, and many are wrapped in my new gift parcel method, which, apparently, requires a blog post.

• Jdub is getting Firefly on DVD, plus an IOU for a Jayne hat -- if she wants one (I try not to knit surprises anymore).
• Her husband, M, is getting the surgical scrub caps mentioned previously.
• The kids are getting knitted hats (some pictured in the parcel how-to post), although they won't be here to open them.
• They'll be taking back gifts for another family, who couldn't make it, including a tote bag and an IOU for a finished pair of socks:
  
  
  

Close-up of a parcel (I sewed them all closed -- really like the look!)

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Making Seek & Find Bottles

Sort of a tutorial. There are others out there -- I linked to at least one when I did Crafty Fun Fridays (old blog) -- but I've been in a picture-taking mood, so you get my version as well. I've been meaning to make some ever since I first posted, and have been stashing small items with the project in mind, but never got around to it. A few weeks ago, I went to a baby shower where one of the games was a bottle like these (except it was a giant baby bottle and filled with baby-themed items). Long after the time was up, the guests were turning the bottles back & forth, trying to check everything off the list.

For Christmas, I wanted to give these to my niece and nephew, hoping that I hadn't waited too long and that K, my 10-year-old niece, wouldn't think them too childish. They actually enjoyed them, and I have a few lessons learned to share along with the photos I took during the making.

Gather Materials
Clear plastic bottle with wide mouth. (I used a large Aquafina bottle.) Drink the water, remove the label, rinse and make sure it's dry as a bone -- bottle and lid.

Cheap/stale rice. No sense using the good stuff; it's not going to be eaten later! (I got 3-lb. bags for $2 ea. at Big Lots.) This size bottle took about 2 lbs. each.

Small toys (more on that later).

Glue (I used Gorilla Glue, because it's what we had.) You don't want the kids opening the bottles and spilling rice everywhere! (Plus, many of the toys are choking hazards.)

Tools: scissors & funnel

Optional: Permanent markers to color-code bottles, if desired; cards to list items; rubber bands; hole punch (for cards)

About the toys
Gather a bunch of smallish non-perishable items (Close-up). Some regular household items will also work.

Lessons learned: the tiny diary-size key was too small and couldn't be found in either bottle, by children or adults. The bee bead turned out to be the exact color of the rice and was also not found by children or adults. Truly white items (like the dice) worked out okay. Too long items (like the huge paper umbrella) aren't a great idea (but the flamingo was fine). I don't recommend foam items (like the leaf).

If you're going to make a list, make sure all the items fit through the bottle opening first. The monkeys had to be forced in (because I'd already made the lists and laminated them!). Keep toys away from tiny tots until they're safely sealed inside the bottles!

Snip a corner off the rice bag, and using a funnel (plastic or an improvised paper one), pour a few inches of rice into the bottle.

This picture shows another lesson learned: rather than stopping at one point and shoving all of the toys into the bottle like I did, add one or two every inch or so. You'll have less work trying to get things redistributed.

The amount of rice in the bottle dictates the difficulty level. I wouldn't go higher than this point, but if you wanted to make it easier, you could stop about an inch earlier.

Glue the cap onto the bottle. As mentioned previously, I used Gorilla Glue. To do so, I moistened the outside of the bottle, where the lid would screw on, with just a bit of water on my fingertip, and applied 3 tiny drops of glue on the inside of the lid. When the lid was screwed on, it distributed the glue enough so the bottles couldn't be opened. (The kids were trying to do so within minutes!)

You could simply say "there are twelve (or ten, or fifteen) items in this bottle; find them." I went a step further and made up little color-coded cards and laminated them (using some old ID tag sheets), attaching them to the bottles with rubber bands.

Finally, I used permanent markers to make dots that matched the stripes on the cards so the kids could match up the bottles to the cards if they became separated. I didn't designate a bottle per child; I figured they could just swap them back and forth until they were tired of them. As it was, my niece grabbed the red one, and nephew J. grabbed the blue one, and they were perfectly content to each "own" one, and share later.

Want to try? I'll send this bag of ten assorted items to a commenter. I usually only get one response, if any, but just in case there are more, I'll draw a name from the comments on Wednesday afternoon. You'll just need to find a bottle, rice, glue, and any additional items you want to add.

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Gifts by Request

Occasionally, I receive thinly veiled hints or direct requests for Christmas gifts. I like this very much... as long as what's being requested is something within my scope of experience (and the person is someone I would be giving a gift to). I would much rather give someone a gift I know they want! A couple of years ago, Jdub asked for bouffant-style scrub caps, and I delivered. A few months ago, she told me that her husband needed some too, but a different style. She said this would be an ideal gift for him, because he was sick of using the paper ones, so I asked her to get me a sample to work with.

She delivered a single paper cap, similar to the one pictured here (pulled from online; I have no idea who this model is).

I very carefully took apart that paper hat and traced the pieces onto the backside of some sturdy gift wrap, then made a prototype.

After a lot of trial and error, I finished two scrub caps last night. It was close -- after the prototype, I was sure I had it down, so I cut out pieces for two hats, only to find that the resulting hats were too small. Back to the drawing board! Luckily, the third hat worked out okay, so I cut the final one and it was perfect. I don't think there is enough of this fabric left for one hat. Whew! (So, I made four hats, not counting the prototype, but only two will work for this gift.) On the off chance that someone who knows Jdub's hub sees this, please don't say anything to him. He won't see the hats until Sunday afternoon!

I sent a quick camera-phone pic to Jdub last night and she is sure he'll love them. Double whew! Christmas with that group is this coming Sunday. I have most of the gifts done, but only one is wrapped. Two more gifts to make. I'd better get to work! (One person is getting a picture (she can't make it to see it in person) of a single sock (socks by request) and an IOU.)

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O Christmas Tree

I posted the picture John took of Neo at the tree, but I still felt the need to formally announce that we put up a tree this year. I think John put up one our first Christmas together, and I believe I had one up when my goddaughter lived here, but otherwise, there has been little in the way of Christmas decoration around since my mom died eleven years ago. New house = new attitude (I hope). I still miss my parents, obviously, and mourn them, but am going to try to find some joy too.

A few days ago, I joked about being done with decorating, but last week, I decided that I definitely needed a tree. My old tree was damaged and discarded awhile back, so I had to go out and buy a new one. I don't remember them being this expensive - even on sale the big ones were out of my price range. As it turned out, I had just enough ornaments for this 4-footer, so it's all good. Since it's been something like ten years since any of these ornaments were out of their packaging, it was a nice trip down memory lane.


Big pic: Maggie under the tree. I am so very proud of all of our kitties. I don't even know if Cass and Charlie have even seen a tree before, but several days after it was put up, it's still standing. As far as I can tell, only one ornament was dislodged, and it wasn't put up all that well to begin with. Mostly, they're content with sitting under it or next to it, and loving on it a little. (Neo has been caught chewing the (fake) branches.)
Right top: One of 3 glass balls that survived from my childhood.
Right middle: There used to be a pair of angels - this pink one (for me) and a blue one (for my brother), but his didn't make it. As it is, I had to glue a ring on this one's wing so there was something to hang her by.
Right bottom: Christmas 1973, I was eight. (So glad my mom added initials and dates!) I have a feeling I just didn't want to do this project, because this is terrible! There are a bunch more that my mom painted; a few years ago I gave my brother the one he painted.


A few more pics, from left to right:

1. A fake bird, sitting atop a tiny nest. Must have been my homage to Mary Ellen's nest in The Homecoming.
2. Acorn light cover. I would like a bunch more of these... and a string of lights that they'll fit over. (Next year, I promise.)
3. One of my Emergency Yarn Ornaments.
4. I have a few of these snowflakes, crocheted by my great-grandmother.
5. Another one of the glass balls from my childhood.

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Christmas Strata: a Photo Essay

We have this every Christmas morning, occasionally for Easter brunch or house party breakfast, but typically it's a Christmas thing. (Download with only 1 image at Google Docs.)

Ingredients
• 12 slices bread (I use multi-grain)
• 6 eggs
• 1 lb. bulk sausage (not shown)
• ½ stick unsalted butter (don't melt it yet)
• 2 c. shredded cheese (lowfat okay; don't use fat-free)
• 1 can evaporated skim milk
• ¼ t. dry/ground mustard
• ½ t. salt

Also: 9"x13" glass baking dish, large mixing bowl

Brown the sausage and break it up well. While it's cooking, follow the next few steps.

Note: you can use other meats, or go meat-free, but may need to adjust the amount of butter used. The original recipe called for ¾-1 stick of butter, plus the amount used to butter the dish, but we've found that it's far too much when using sausage.

Butter the dish using the amount set aside for the casserole, then melt the remainder.

(I've used this same casserole pan for at least ten Christmases.)

Cube the bread & toss it into the large mixing bowl.

(I just got this bowl, and love it!)

Drain the sausage and add it and the cheese to the bread.

Toss the bread, cheese and sausage.

I use my hands because it's not nearly as messy as an upcoming step.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add evaporated milk, salt and mustard; mix well.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture.

Thoroughly mix.

Wow, that is a very unflattering angle for my hand (which is fat, but not really shaped like that).

Dump mixture into buttered pan and pat mixture into corners.

Then, wash your hands.

Pour butter over assembled strata, then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, or at least several hours later, preheat oven to 325º and bake for one hour.

We usually serve it with canned peaches. Not sure why... we just always have.

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Christmas Morning

I'm probably lucky that my brother doesn't read my blog...

So, Christmas is here. At this second, I'm not in the mood, but that's because I took something to help me sleep and now feel that sluggish/hungover thing that OTC sleep aids leave behind. But in a few minutes, the smell of the traditional Christmas strata should begin to fill the air, and in 45 minutes, it will come out of the oven; around which time we will need to decide if we'll be able to make it down the driveway toward my brother's house. (Rained all day yesterday, now it's below freezing and snowing.)

I did a kind of photo essay for the making of the strata, which I'll post in the next day or two, mostly to show off my new bowl. It's missing a shot of the finished product, but I left my camera on the kitchen counter so I wouldn't forget. I only make this once a year, for going on about twenty years now, so if I don't get the picture, there won't be another opportunity (until next Christmas).

My brother's family came here yesterday afternoon for an early Christmas Eve celebration (we usually do it in the evening, but distance and weather are bigger factors now). They brought take-out chicken, so I only had to worry about beverages and desserts. (We had s'mores, cookies and a chocolate-peppermint (store bought) cake that was rather yummy.) I think everyone had fun. We played a few rounds of Dutch Blitz before they left; that was a blast from the past! (Back when I was at a certain college, playing cards were not allowed; only games like Uno and Dutch Blitz were. SIL's (stricter) school had similar rules.)

Ooh. Off to open stockings! (Only gifts we're exchanging this year.)

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Christmas 2008 Playlist

I stayed up way too late putting this together!

1. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams
2. Happy Holidays - Andy Williams
3. Christmastime (Oh Yeah) - BNL
4. In the Bleak Midwinter - Bert Jansch
5. It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas - Bing Crosby
6. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
7. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
8. Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
9. Merry Christmas Darling - The Carpenters
10. Driving Home for Christmas - Chris Rea
11. Saviours Day - Cliff Richard
12. Let it Snow! - Dean Martin
13. Baby it's Cold Outside - Dean Martin
14. The Christmas Song - Diana Krall
15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Diana Krall
16. Count Your Blessings Instead of Sleep - Diana Krall
17. White Christmas - The Drifters
18. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
19. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Ella Fitzgerald
20. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - Gayla Peevey
21. Ring Out Solstice Bells - Jethro Tull
22. Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis
23. Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano
24. Christmas Vacation - Mavis Staples
25. Don't Need a Reindeer - The Moody Blues
26. Scrooge - Muppet Christmas Carol
27. Good King Wenceslas - Muppet Christmas Carol
28. One More Sleep 'til Christmas - Muppet Christmas Carol
29. It Feels Like Christmas - Muppet Christmas Carol
30. Bless Us All - Muppet Christmas Carol
31. Thankful Heart - Muppet Christmas Carol
32. All I Want for Christmas is You - Olivia Olson
33. What Are You Doing For New Year's Eve? - The Orioles
34. We Need a Little Christmas - Percy Faith
35. Thank Got it's Christmas - Queen
36. Santa Claus is Watching You - Ray Stevens
37. Snoopy and the Red Baron Christmas - Royal Guardsmen
38. Silent Night Holy Night - Sinead O'Connor
39. Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio
40. All I Want for Christmas is You - Vince Vance & the Valiants
41. Christmas at Ground Zero - "Weird Al" Yankovic

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Happy Christmas!

Photo by John Shaw.

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New Tutorial: Gift Pouches

I finally finished the Thorpe hats. I think the original knitting pre-dates this blog; this picture was just taken in September, but I actually knit the hats back in the early summer. I have so many kids on my Christmas list that if a hand-made gift is an option, I need to start early. (Plus, I was actually in the mood.) I confirmed that the boys would like hats, and kind of goofy would be good. I got a list of their favorite colors and was warned not to spend too much on the yarn because, well, they're kids. Thorpe is decidedly not goofy, but earflaps are fun and certainly not your standard watch cap, so I settled on that pattern using Jiffy Thick & Quick since it happened to come in all 3 of the suggested colors. This week, I finally got the contrasting edging done -- it called for crochet, but I finally decided to pick up & knit stitches all the way around, then bind off. It's pretty close -- and braids (easily cut off if they don't like them).

On my mind for several weeks was how I was going to wrap all these hats (there are 3 more). I figured out a plan, but wanted to wait until I could photograph all the steps (in case it worked). I wanted to use materials I already owned, and the stack of Christmas-themed scrap-booking paper (that I bought to make these garlands) was perfect. Without further ado, may I present

Gift Pouches Tutorial
(Click any image to embiggen)
Materials:
• Scrap-booking paper in preferred size (12"x12" shown) - 2 sheets per gift
• String or twine
• Scissors
• Tape
• Not shown: materials for closing. You can sew the edges, use 2-sided tape, use packing tape, etc.

Oh, and a present to wrap. This method of wrapping is great for odd-shaped objects like this dog toy, or a knitted/crocheted hat.

Select a sheet for the front of the package and turn over. On one edge, cut a short slit about 1" long.

Cut a length of string or twine a few inches longer than the width of the paper.

About 1/4-1/3 from the top of the page, tape the twine to the back of the paper, using regular desk tape. Only tape an inch or two on each side. If you tape all the way across, the recipient will have to deal with tape either still holding the package shut or just getting in the way.

Turn the sheet over and pull the string from that edge over into the slit.

Align the top sheet (with the string) back to back with another sheet of paper (right sides facing out). Using preferred method, close 3 sides of the package, making sure that the twine in the slit is free, and the twine on the opposite edge is secure. (Note: if you sew the sheets together, make sure you use a needle that's reserved for this purpose.)

Place gift in package, then close up fourth side.

If you like, make a little tab on the end of the string, along with ribbons, bows and gift tags.

Give gift.

Recipient should grasp an edge, grab the string and pull across the paper. (You can see here that I attempted to sew the sheets together, but my machine refused to cooperate (unrelated to the project*), so I switched to tape, at least for the purposes of this tute.)

Oh, what's that?

Ta-dah!

*The machine was damaged, ever so slightly, during the move. We learned that the piece that holds on the foot is called the ankle, and that was the piece that was damaged -- just bent enough to prevent the spring from doing its job.

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Okay, I'm all decorated for Christmas

Maybe not. If we can get the boxes out of the attic at the old house, I would sincerely like to put up at least a small tree. If that plan fails, I have at least put up some decoration, more than I've done for many years. (Sometimes I hang stockings... that's it.)

A Christmas Story was my dad's favorite Christmas movie (it was his era), and probably one of his favorites overall, so for several years, I got him themed gifts. One year was a Red Ryder BB gun (which, sadly, disappeared from his house) and another year, I found this desk lamp. I couldn't afford the full-size version, but he got a big kick out of it just the same. (After Christmas, it will go on my computer table.)

Here's a small image of it from the outside. (Click to see bigger.) It's not my all-time favorite Christmas movie, but I usually watch it once a year. It makes me feel close to Dad, for one thing, but I get a kick out of it regardless. Watching this movie has also helped me vow to never become "that aunt," the one that doesn't know what age her niece & nephew are, who sends wildly inappropriate/stupid gifts.

I like that they enjoy hand-made gifts, but I'm watching for the time when it just won't do. Actually, this year, my niece is getting a stack of used books (Trixie Belden, most of which are out of print in any form) and a scarf. My nephew, J, is getting one of the toys or games he wants and a snowman nightlight - nothing hand-made. The boy loves snowmen and he loves Christmas. Someday, he might want this lamp. And I'll consider giving it to him (no promises).

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