It's that funny time of year again, where I seem to spend every spare second knitting, sewing or cutting but this space has been absent of any evidence of creative activity for weeks. There has been the creation of this years Christmas challenge for the Guild, but that has to stay secret for a few more weeks. My making for the December Snail Mail Swap is well underway (I am quite pleased with this one Valarie!) but you will have to wait until packages are exchanged and opened to see what has gone in there. Just to prove that I haven't been sitting around twiddling my thumbs here are some brief glimpses of the few things I think I can get away with showing you....
These little PJ's are for my nephews - for the one who adores Dinosaurs I have appliqued a 'long neck' on to the top and the other has his initial on his tummy!
I have also made PJ's for each of my boys (it is a special request from them every year!) The fabric I used is a lovely soft brushed cotton and I was lucky enough to get it on offer back in the summer for £1 a metre. I don't use a pattern to make these, I just draw around a pair they already wear and add a bit for growth and hems. It seems to work out ok each year, although often I do manage to get in a bit of a pickle as to what bits need sewing where and invariably have to unpick at least one row of stitching before I get in the flow. Frustratingly, this year I unpicked a bit and then realised it was correct all along and just had to sew it back again!
I cheat with the tops and just buy lovely soft long sleeved cotton vests and this year I have personalised them with a 'tag' of matching fabric and a Christmas ribbon.
My parents are being included in the family of funny hats and I have made a special gnome hat for each of them....
with a flower for my Mum.....
and a pocket for a Mars bar for my Dad.
If you clicked through to the hat link - you may have seen the wrist-warmers I knitted the boys using my hand-spun last year? This year I have used a lovely ball of Noro that I couldn't resist buying when I visited this LYS recently (I have something exciting happening there in January but that is a story for another day!)
I love how they have turned out , with the different stripes of colour (and what gorgeous colour it is!) and I hope they will get as much use as last years pairs have had....both boys say how great they are for keeping them warm while still allowing them to do all the things that little boys need to do...like build camp fires, whittle, sticks, make mud potions, build fortresses.......
I hope that has been enough to convince you that I have not been idle and that I do still love to make things. I am off now to get stuck into two very special paper-cuts which I hope to have finished and photographed to show you on Thursday - see you then!
