Thursday, November 25, 2010

It's poetry, not procrastination...

Twas the night after Thanksgiving and all through the house;
Piles of projects were growing, even felt cheese for a stuffed mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
Except for the one I was still stitching (while trying not to swear.)

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
On matching holiday pillowcases they rested their heads.

My husband had settled down for a long winter's nap,
While I sat up half the night trying to finish a knit cap.

When from down in the sewing room there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.

Then my back seized from the hours spent hunched over my needles,
and my gait was as awkward and slow as a beetle's.

The slowly growing light of my eco-friendly bulbs,
Cast sinister shadows among all my giant plastic tubs.

A large mound of fabric had knocked to the ground,
A basket of yarn which had been neatly wound.

Ribbons and lace seemed to go on for miles,
and nothing was left of my nicely organized piles!

Now how would I remember which fabric I had chosen,
To edge the soft blanket meant to warm toes that were frozen?

And how many aprons was I supposed to cut out?
This Christmas crafting is out of hand- of that there is no doubt!

I started to fret and to stumble around,
Tripping over my yard goods that littered the ground.

Everything was half finished or not yet even started,
Looking over my list left me feeling faint-hearted.

I'd had all these plans, these wishes and schemes,
Of personally fulfilling all my family's Christmas dreams.

And of giving my loved ones, both far away and near,
a gesture of goodwill, some handmade holiday cheer.

If I didn't finish now my budget was blown,
Which would definitely make my poor husband groan.

So I sat down to my machines, determination renewed,
and turned on sprightly music to lighten my mood.

My scissors they flashed, and my needles they flew,
and my confidence soared as the finished pile grew!

My heart swelled with pride as I surveyed the largess, 
That my two hands had fashioned from a big tangled mess.

Sweaters, slippers and socks, and pajamas galore,
Ready to be worn by the folks I adore.

I knit a stuffed crab, and a baby doll too, 
and some warm, woolen mittens in a great shade of blue.

Presents to wrap up, both useful and frilly,
Some purely decorative, and some downright silly.

Each gift was chosen and crafted with care,
and to keep their extremities from going about bare.

I hope Santa had noticed that I'd made his burden lighter,
A gift certificate for a massage would sure make my Christmas brighter.

But perhaps the best lesson I've learned in this year,
Is to start next year's presents while I can still taste the fear...

And to all other crafters who are in my same plight,
Merry Christmas to all- and may your Ott lights burn bright!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Something's missing...

 I got Lila dressed this morning and thought, "Hmmm, that's cute but it needs something..."


So I went down to my stash and found a remnant of black corduroy and an hour or so later...


Perfect!
A cute top that helps break up all that red and makes it an outfit


A couple of buttons in the back for added detail. 


I think we'll get a lot of use out of this piece.


I thought it would be nice to share this because most of my projects right now fall into this category.

(fun hair bow huh?)

Just over a month left to get that holiday crafting done! 
Good Luck to all... I know I'll need it.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

I tend to go a little overboard sometimes...

Every year our ward does an auction as part of the Holiday Dinner and people donate services (like babysitting or computer help), homemade goodies, and handmade crafts and use the money to do a Sub-for-Santa.  And every year I think, "Oh, I could make this or that..."  and then wait until it's too late to start another project.  

So this year I decided that making a few holiday hair bows would be easily do-able.  (That, and I am trying to live down my attempt at helping last year that can only be described as The Great Turkey Debacle of 2009... a day that will live in infamy forever... at least in my mind.)


So I gathered up all my supplies, set up a workspace and got to creating...


...and before I knew it a couple of hair bows had turned into 29.  

And I don't want to stop!

I am loving making something that can be finished in a few minutes as opposed to the hours and hours that I have spent slogging through a cross-stitched stocking for my son and am still no where near done. The stocking looks great and I know I'll love it when it is finished.  It's just nice to get a little instant gratification now and then to keep me motivated to keep crafting!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Thursday Nights

Thursday nights are my favorite night of the week.  It's Daddy Night to our kids (for awhile there it was fish stick night because that's one of the few things Daddy knows how to cook...) and to me it is Knit Night!
I get to to my LYS and hang out with awesome people who don't look at you like you're crazy if you stop in mid-sentence to grab a hank of alpaca and rub it gently on your cheek...

Of course they look at you a little funny if your sister draws a mustache tattoo on your finger in revenge for some mildly teasing comment...


Actually, they are more likely to grab your camera and snap a picture if they aren't laughing too hard to see through the tears...


Thanks for the good times ladies.  Looking forward to Thursday nights with all of you helps me get through the hard parts of my week.