Facial Accessories

 Birthday gifts for the under 10 crowd are a lot more fun than for adults. Thing 1 is having a pirate themed birthday party to celebrate being 8. I already had a pile of masks in the works when that announcement came so eye patches and facial hair were added. Funny glasses were just too good to pass up so those went to. Eight year-olds are much more appreciative of the wacky than other people.

While I had lots of fun making everything, and  thinking about all the different characters that would need mustaches. I didn't consider the layering possibilities. You can never have too many accessories!

Patterns for the facial accessories:
Super Hero Masks 
Eye patches
Mustaches   - all are based on this pattern
Beard

Everything was packed into a cotton bag (with mustache drawn on) for easy storage.

Blue Baby Set

Berry Baby Hat

Baby Shoes

I finished this set plus an extra pair of shoes last week before I succumbed to the plague. Okay not the plague exactly, more like a head cold.  But still it's damned irritating and doing nothing to help my cabin fever. The set was sold locally and the other booties, I guess you can't really say they're shoes, will go to Florida for a member of The Ships Project crew.
I shouldn't really complain about the head cold since at this stage, Mom has it worse than me. I'm at the tired of being sick stage rather than the sick and tired and never going to get out of bed again stage.- which is where Mom is just coming out of. 

Finished Objects

Knit cat_____goofy hats_______bed pockets for Thing 1and 2. Slushy weekend with lots of fog. Thinking about quilts and new old fabric.

Fudgy Brownies, Fine Cooking Jun/Jul 2006

This is the brownie recipe from last week. The version that is on the Fine Cooking website looks to be a bigger batch to me, but there were some very mixed reviews in their comments.

Brownies & Hearts

It's cold this morning. Like 15 degrees cold.

In all fairness the sun is out,  the birds are singing, and the fields are sparkling white. (Blindingly so.) The landscape has been really beautiful, if a little monochromatic of late. So to counter act winter I made brownies and a crochet heart. (Valentines day is encroaching)  The brownie recipe is an old stand-by  from Fine Cooking.  It's a one pot wonder that makes up in a flash and comes out fabulously fudgy.

Although now that I think of it, I'm not sure I've really ever had a bad brownie. Maybe one with too many nuts. I have a thing about nuts diluting my chocolate.

But I digress; the heart can be found here. The Internet is a buzz with Valentine related stuff these days. Mostly I've been ignoring it, but I needed a little color today.

January ends

The month ends much like it began, cold and white. The satellite internet has been on strike this week and took Blogger with it. (The cold is making everyone cranky.)  So, I've been manically knitting and making small things. My introduction to The Toy Society has spawned a few softies and lots of pins.  Mom is keeping the skirted pig because it's tax season and everyone inside a CPA office needs all the help they can get.  I have a finished bunny to post just as soon as I can find a good spot for the toy drop.

In other news Mom had a birthday! There was far too much food and a really good Blackberry Cake. I highly recommend this with a dollop of plain whipped cream. Yummy!

Handmade Holiday 2011 re-cap

Sister in law chef apron

for Thing 2

for Thing 1

piles to be boxed up

Why I decided my brother's family all needed aprons is beyond me, but here they are. I fully blame Pinterest for having far too many cute kid aprons.  Halfway into the process I decided to trim both aprons in red gingham. Which turned out to be a major pain and no doubt a cause of Christmas insanity of which I'm still recovering. For future reference, don't make ten yards of gingham bias tape. It will make your eyes cross and refuse to behave while attaching it to a small canvas apron.

In the end, everything was a hit and the pictures of the kids in their new chef's hats makes up for whatever sanity I lost last month. Isn't that what really counts?

A far less stress inducing project was lavender filled owls. inspired by these, I made a few dozen palm size owls from scrap fabric. Mom and I had a blast putting on felt features one evening. It was a bit like being a little kid again. I can't tell you last time I did anything with felt eyes but this was a lot of fun. The only real problem came when it was time to parcel these out. I wasn't sure anyone other than me would be so enamored about having a lavender owl hanging out in their sock drawer. Personally I find the idea of having a small creature looking out at you as you look for a stray sock entertaining. I sent them off anyway.

I finally got around to updating my Ravelry page and discovered December was a very productive month. I was a knitting machine! It's a wonder my wrists still work at all.

Thing 1 & 2 in the Zsa hats or Batman and Robin as they call them.

Pics of Christmas Eve

frozen fog branches

I'm watching you

Westie mug rugs

cookie tree

The last of the cookie dough

cranberry-ginger shortbread

cat masks

mustache cowl

Snow Goldie

The last few weeks have been a blur. Company has come and gone. It was a short but intense visit, and two days later I finally found my lists again. I'm down to neighbor gifts and finishing up things for Mom.  I have one more pan of fudge to cut and wrap and then I'm done.

I made a pre-Christmas feast last Wednesday while family was here so tonight Mom and I are making pizza. After the madness of last week I'm glad it's just us for the holiday. We had just enough snow fall this morning to make everything postcard perfect. The house smells like evergreens and tomato sauce and tonight will be spent with old movies on the couch with the dog.  Perhaps not a very traditional Christmas but I have to say it's absolutely wonderful.

Finished Object Friday

I'm on a coffee break from cookie madness at the moment. Why I think I need to make so many varieties is beyond me. I still doing it. I just don't know why.
I think this is part of my Christmas mania.  I must knit far more hats than any child could possibly want and have enough cookies on hand should a platoon stop by. 

Although in all honesty I am not completely off my rocker in my knit projects. Pointy hats and the ones with ears may not have been on any ones list but the beard was vigorously requested by a seven year old.

Details for all the projects will at some point be on my Ravelry page. No promises as to when as it's 8 days til the big day and I have an unexpected house guest arriving on Sunday.

November mailing

 November mailing for the Ships Project always includes handmade Christmas ornaments. So in addition to 7 wool hats an assortment of felt decorations are heading overseas.

For some reason the idea of gnomes at sea makes me laugh. Probably sleep deprivation.

Click the link for more information about this group and how you can get involved.
THE SHIPS PROJECT

Weekend Pictures

stained 90 feet of deck railing, (my hand may never be the same)

raining

canned a dozen quarts of red sauce

people under my desk

which check to use?

Piggy