The mail came and the Swap Package has arrived!! I’m so excited. My partner and I were both a bit late on the sending, so it worked out well we were paired together. This is what arrived!
One of her traditions is to make pinecone/peanut butter/birdseed ornaments, with her son, to hang outside for the birds, so she sent some “local” pine cones and some bird seed to get us started. I have actually been considering doing the same things as a fun project with Mini, so that was fabulous! She also noticed my affinity for local foods so sent some grits that come from her home town, with ideas on how to cook them…and it appears as long as I cook them up in a savory fashion, and skip using sugar, I’ll be all set. She also sent some stickers for Mini and little mug with polar beads, a couple skeins of thrifted yarn, that is quite cool, and the ornament is a fabulous little needle felted cardinal! She didn’t know this, but in my last house I had a little cardinal that would wake me up many mornings by bumping into my bedroom window…repeatedly. It was a funny little guy, and after we moved I sort of missed him. It was a great Swap and one worth waiting for.
This is what I sent out, some of the pieces you had seen when I made them, and some you hadn’t.
The little pin cushion for your finger, a knitted mini sweater (that was a lot of fun and took very little time. I think I’ll be making a few up for our tree next year). The Elephant for her little boy, 3 cornballs, My favorite Christmas book (which my husband read to me while I knit this year on the eve of Christmas Eve), An Angel’s Story by Max Lucado. A mix CD of Christmas songs, a very Eclectic mix of songs. And a few recipies, including the Cornballs, Kansas Corn (the Christmas Eve dish for potluck at Gram’s) and Cinnimon Rolls, as that is what we usually eat Christmas Morning. She liked her goodies, too. It was a lovely swap experience!
Well, I finally did it, the tree is taken down. The ornaments are packed away, and I printed my notes for the advent journey so we are all set to start off next year. I do still need to make all the bags, which is on my list the next few weeks, and I’m already starting a bookmark file on my computer of ideas for next year…but I think most folks are tired of hearing/reading about Christmas, so I’ll save those little tidbits for much later this year. As far as the tree goes, I’m thinking of propping it up in the woods somewhere and filling it with the birdseed ornaments. We’ll see how such a project goes with Mini…I don’t know that she’ll understand the concept of Peanut butter as a craft supply, since she loves to eat it so much.
My cousin’s shower was today. It was a lovely time and she loved the ensemble I knit for her. She received the Futzy baby vest, the cream Koru hat and the bib. She is a very appreciative person and values handmade goodies. She also received from another guest a baby quilt and bumper set, and someone else gave her hand knit mittens and booties. She made a special point to comment on the fact the people made them. She was very sweet.
While watching all the gifts being opened, I started another little vest. This one is a different pattern, but still has the button side, so I’m excited. I am loving this one. It’s going very quickly. I wanted if for a newborn to 3 months and I think it’s going to be sized perfectly, having used the DK weight yarn. The pattern is well written thus far, and I’m shaping the arm holes at this point. It is not weighed down with the futziness of the other vest. I’m thrilled. I’m using Rowan Felted Tweed and it is working up very nicely…which I expect nothing less from Rowan yarns.
I felt very conflicted spending the shower, and a whole movie, knitting the vest instead of the sweater for Mini, but I did. The sweater got some attention today, and is coming along, but after I found the vest pattern online I was really drawn to knit it, and it just kept getting in my thoughts while I was working the sweater, making me dissatisfied with my sweater knitting experience. I’m going to get it out of the way, so I can go back to sweater knitting bliss. Hopefully that works.
The pattern is technically made for a boy in mind, and is called Pebble, Henry’s Manly Cobblestone-Inspired Baby vest, by Nicol Lohr. It’s a free pattern, if you are interested. I will put some girly buttons, and maybe some embroidery, if I get brave. I think it’s really quite unisex, but I also find that most things can be “girlied up” more than they can be made more boyish.
See the sweater is making progress, I had just broken of for the arm divisions yesterday, and I already have a few inches of the body done.
Oh, and fun bit of Chicken news…10 Eggs today!!! Go Girls.
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