Christmas Odds and Ends

So I think I finally got my Christmas mojo back after our annual Cookie Swap this week. The girls all made their favorites: K made chocolate dipped macaroons, and her famous tri-color Italian cookies. P made yummy spritz and delectable chocolate chip,as well as her coconut macaroons. I made snowballs, peanut butter, and snickerdoodles. K was a wonderful hostess and it was a great way to begin Christmas week.

Most of my cookies are bagged or boxed and ready to be handed out as treats to some neighbors, etc. I still have a little baking magic left in me and plan on making some more chocolate chip cookies and a childhood favorite of my husband's: kipfels. I get such a cookie-baking sickness at this time of year. I don't know what it is, but I have this insane compulsion to BAKE, BAKE, BAKE. And the more variety the better.

Besides cookies, I've made some other little food items to give as gifts. Hope this Country Soup warms the gift recipient. The ingredients look pretty all layered together too.

I also made some "Mommy and Me" cookies for K and my sister-in-law. I know their children are into baking right now; this could be a good activity if it's snowy or rainy and the kids can't go outside to play. Although, um, it might be more of an activity for the mommies than the kids. Sorry, Moms!

Well, it's pretty enough to use as a decoration if they don't want to make the cookies.

This idea is from Bakerella. These are her Cowboy Cookies. I loved the idea so much when I first saw it. And guess what? So did K. She also reads Bakerella's blog, and she made me a gift jar for Christmas too! Very funny. Great minds think alike. It is such a cute idea; I guarantee there are thousands of these jars floating around this year!

My final Christmas treat is Snowman Poop. I saw the idea on the web a couple months ago and knew I had to make them for gift toppers--I am really immature. Last year I crocheted pretty snowflakes for gift toppers. This year? Poop. Unfortunately my printer ran out of blue ink, but here's how the label was supposed to look:

And on that scatological note, I hope you have a very merry Christmas!

The Real Thing

Little C. got to try out his Boardwalk Sweater on the actual boardwalk this past weekend.

It was a beautiful sunny day, with an occasional crisp wind. My husband and I took a long walk with his mom and soaked up all the boardwalk sounds and smells. The idyllic ocean view was somewhat marred by exposed piping and heavy mechanical equipment. The township is frantically trying to restore the beach before summer after all the storms this year. It was a challenge to photograph the ocean without it.

It's always so fulfilling to get outside, enjoy the sunny weather, and spend time with family.
***
I'm so happy with the boardwalk sweater that I've sort of embarked on a bit a knitting tear! I've noticed that my modus operandi usually involves one primary knitting project, and 1-2 secondary projects I like to switch back and forth with. Lately, however, I keep getting drawn to other additional project possibilities. I even had to write down a short list of patterns/ yarn colors so I could keep it all straight. I'm also currently obsessed with making a bunch of drawstring bags in which to keep all these WIPs. I love when these bursts of creativity happen. I wonder if Little C. will catch the creative bug too? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

A Portrait of the (Graphic) Artist as a Young (Wo)man

Hmmm...Can I still be considered a "young woman" if I'm in my thirties?

I've been diligently knitting this week but am unable to show you my progress (it's a gift--Hi, K!). I've been a little crafty on the computer, though.

I've been wanting to change the masthead on this site for awhile, but severely lack the technical know-how to do it. Anyway, I downloaded Gimp to my computer and have been playing with it here and there. I really have no idea what I'm doing. It doesn't seem that user-friendly (and by user-friendly, I mean a monkey would not be able to use it; a monkey and I are definitely on the same computer skill level), but this is what I've come up with so far:

It's been fun to play around with the program although it has been somewhat frustrating trying to learn how to do things, mostly because I have not read the Help section at all. I know some people diligently read a manual or instructions before using an item or putting something together. I always seem to take the hard way and plunge right in. This could be the reason it took me about 4 hours to put together Baby C.'s ExerSaucer, and it is definitely a symptom of my impatience problem.

If you want to manipulate photos etc. Gimp is a good, free alternative to Photoshop. Apparently you can do a lot of cool things with the program. Now I just have to figure out how.

Keep or Toss?

Is this trash? Should it be kept or tossed?

Every now and then I get the urge to purge my house. Before Baby C. was born I, like many expectant mothers, turned the house upside down throwing things away and organizing like a madwoman. I don't know how productive this was, since the whole house looked like it was a casualty of WWII bombing after we brought home the little 8 lb darling. As much as I would like to blame the mess on Baby C. it's hard to frame it on him since he can't walk and pretty much slept and ate the entire first couple months. Hmm...maybe I'll just blame it on my husband instead. It can't have anything to do with me. Oh no...not me. I'm innocent.

Whoever's fault it is--not mine, I swear!--cleaning and organizing your house can force a diligent crafter to face one of life's most difficult moral dilemmas: should this be kept or tossed?

Sometimes keeping things makes me feel like one of the squirrels I see outside this time of year, frantically hoarding nuts like an obsessive compulsive. Other times I have nightmares that the police will have to come to my house to investigate a crime scene, and they'll have to wade through a bunch of junk that I've hoarded to collect evidence, finally giving up b/c there's no way they can navigate through all the stuff. Funny how the actual crime is not part of the nightmare; it's the obtrusive junk. This reminds me of the advice to always wear good underwear in case you have to go to the hospital. Again, apparently going to the hospital in an emergency situation is not nearly as bad as the nurses seeing you in underwear with a hole in it!

So even though my house is not nearly disorganized enough to have nightmares about, I sometimes feel compelled to just "throw it all away." We had a massive yard sale last spring and it felt awesome to see everything go...

Except that feeling didn't last long. Because a couple days later I was looking for a cookbook I rarely used but have held onto for years. I NEEDED a recipe for a coffee cake that was in that book. The book that I just gave away with a stack of others for a dollar. No biggie, right? I just went on the internet and got another recipe that wasn't quite the same but was just as good. No big deal...

But then a month or so after that it happened again! This time it was a bag full of 5 skeins of yarn and a set of knitting needles. It was also sold for a dollar at the yard sale. It went to a lovely woman "for her mother." I must have held on to that bag for twelve years. At nine months pregnant I thought, I haven't used these in years, the yarns are too dark, and I like crochet better than knitting anyway. Let me toss it. Of course within two months I was cursing myself for selling it; I became interested in knitting again and the dark yarns would be perfect colors for a little boy. What was I thinking?

It's uncanny how an item that has collected dust in the basement for over a decade can suddenly seem so important and necessary after it's been thrown/ given away. I'm sure it's some subconscious desire to always have what you can't.

This is very troublesome for crafters when it comes to scraps/ supplies. I wonder if the items in question are trash or treasure. Will I ever use those fabric scraps from my first quilt again? Sure, I haven't used my chalk pastels since college, but will I suddenly be struck with the motivation to use them once they're gone? What about that beautiful yarn that's too scratchy to use for anything, but is too beautiful to get rid of? All these things are stashed away in rubbermaid bins, hoping they escape the next yard sale.

I like to imagine that woman's mother from the yard sale has used the yarns that I took for granted for so many years and made something really special with them. Or maybe that exact bag is now sitting in her basement! As for me, I'm off to the craft store to buy the exact yarns and needles I sold last spring. I solemnly swear to be more discriminating from now on when it comes to purging.

Once Upon a Square

I mentioned in the previous post how I'm a sucker for instant gratification. This became even more apparent to me this week as I stayed up way too late each night reading a book lent to me by my friend K. As I read the suspense/ romance Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart, I realized that I wanted to finish the entire book in one sitting so I could find out what happened--immediately. I didn't do it this time, but I have been known in the past to read ahead to find out what happens, or even read the last few pages of a book before I'm done. Yes, I'm one of those people. As I sacrificed much-needed mom sleep, it became increasingly clear that I really have a problem. Hi, My name is S and I'm impatient.

Here's another example of how crochet feeds this bad habit: I became interested in crochet again a year or two ago because I learned how to make granny squares. Just like the baby earflap hats, granny squares are like crack for a IG (instant gratification) addict like myself. Again, in only a short time you have a completed sqaure to admire. It's more satifiying than looking at the several rows you crocheted in a blanket or scarf. There are so many beautiful patterns to choose from as well. The practice squares in the picture above are a simple Solid Square; the twister blanket I made for my neice is a Circle in a Square. There are so many others I'd like to try. It's very exciting for a craft nerd like me.

The key to all granny squares, hats, mittens, snowflakes, leaves, and other motifs is to chain a circle. The beginning of this video is a good example. Once you master this easy technique, virtually all crochet doors are open to you.

I have grand plans for future blankets and pillows utilizing the dozens and dozens of different patterns, and we're not even talking about the hexagons, and triangles, and paisley motifs. The endless color combinations, the countless stitches to try...Oh, the suspense of it all! If only I could just make them all RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE! Wouldn't it be wonderful?

Buttons Part 2: "A Rich Jewel in an Ethiop's Ear"

Or on an Ethiop's finger.
I love buttons so much they deserve another post... Much Ado About Nothing was on TV the other day and that got me started thinking about Shakespeare and some of his plays. I randomly thought of this quote from Romeo & Juliet and because I have buttons on the brain I started thinking of how buttons are a lot like jewelry on clothing.

Just like a necklace or pair of earrings can change a look, so too can the buttons you choose to accessorize a handmade item. Here are some of the different choices I looked at for Baby C.'s navy sweater.

Tortoise swirl:

Brown:

Yellow:

Wooden hearts:

White plastic:

Maybe they should invent pop off buttons so you can change the look of an outfit whenever you want.

It was a tough choice, but I went with the first picture, tortoise swirl.

***

Footnote: I said before that "Happiness is a bag of buttons." Let me end here with a little story that happened last week. As I considered which buttons to use for the sweater, I dumped the contents of the Big Ol' Bag of Buttons on my table and started running my hands over the contents. It was then that I realized a large, shiny, black, misshapen button started moving under my hand. My surprise turned to complete disgust as I realized it was a giant cricket mixed in with the buttons I had been sorting. How the cricket became trapped in this bag, I do not want to know. All I know is what followed was some screaming and my husband engaging in cricket hunting as the evil insect hopped behind the couch. I loathe all insects (except for lady bugs and butterflies). All I can say is "Happiness was a bag of buttons."

Buttons Part 1: Big Ol' Bag o' Buttons.

Happiness is a bag of buttons. The other day I thought of an old memory: watching my mother sewing with her sewing kit next to her. It was an old faux tortoise shell box with all sorts of interesting things in it. As a little kid I remember being fascinated by the straight pins that were decorated with yellow enamel tops almost like little candies. Or the strange silver thimble that I loved putting on my own fingers. Then there was the tape measure which I tried measuring my height with. These things could provide much joy on their own, but by far the greatest treasure of all was the assortment of random buttons found at the bottom of the box. Each one was unique and had a little history that went with it. Maybe it belonged to a wedding dress, or an ordinary frock. Maybe it belonged to a sixties style coat or a responsible tailored blazer. I liked the buttons for their randomness, for what they were, and what they could become.

Recently I asked my mother if I could look at her saved buttons, and she told me I could have them (Thanks, Mom!). She handed over a fun glass container packed with them. My mother is a firm believer that " keeping a button is a guarantee that you will never lose one." (Mom, if you ever lose one, you know where to find me.) I found some favorites and even got inspired from them to make some crochet items in the future.

That very week I was in a local craft store and stumbled upon the Bargain Button bag. The childhood excitement hit me again as I inspected the bag and let my eyes scan over the random buttons inside. These would be perfect for the two sweaters I'm making for Baby C.

I can't wait to try out the different combinations. I'm also going to make sure to hold onto my spare buttons from now on. Of course this is mostly for myself since I doubt Baby C. will be interested in sewing. I have a feeling he'll be a little more interested in football instead.

On Top of Spaghetti

Being a new mom I am carrying around more than just an adorable little monkey on my body all day. I'm also carrying around those pesky pregnancy pounds. Aside from the regular exercise regime of baby lifting, laundry lunges, and stroller power walks I have found another sure-fire way to lose weight whether it's from pregnancy or not. Move over, Atkins, South Beach, and Flat Belly. Say hello to The Crochet Diet!

Most moms will attest to the fact that when baby is awake there is time for very little else but baby. This can be good if you are trying to lose weight because there is very little time to eat anything. However, I have found that once Baby C. goes to bed at night with the sound of "On Top of Spaghetti" (one of his favorite songs) resonating in his ears, dangerous snacking can occur. Many people find themselves to be night snackers. What usually happens after dinner is over and the dishes are put away? You and millions of other Americans find themselves on the couch in front of the TV. It's time to relax and enjoy yourself. And somehow the urge to snack is overwhelming.

Some popular diets stress the importance of not eating after 7 pm. Have you ever really tried to do this? I have. I sat there. On the couch. Watching TV. My hands motionless on my lap. Something felt really strange. The universe was off-kilter. I felt so restless. That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. My head was pounding---I needed something to snack on!!! Seconds later the feeding frenzy began.

After numerous attempts to subscribe to the "no food after 7" philosophy I finally realized that what was really bugging me was not that I couldn't eat (because I actually wasn't even hungry) but that my hands were completely idle. And you know what they say about idle hands being the Devil's playthings. (Apparently the Devil can not rest unless I eat a chocolate peanut butter sundae every night).

Question: Have you ever tried to eat a bag of chips or a gooey dessert and crochet or knit at the same time? It can not be done. Even if you are really determined you will not be able to do both. Again, I've already tried it. Here's what happens: You're hands will become oily or sticky and even with careful napkin wiping you will inevitably not be able to properly grasp your needles or hook. Who wants to contend with a slippery/sticky needle while crafting? And who wants to risk soiling the item they're painstakingly creating? Hence, the birth of The Crochet Diet.

It's certainly not a novel idea to distract yourself in this way, but it took me awhile to come to this A-Ha moment. It really does work. The best part of this diet is that you can multi-task in three distinct ways: 1.) Create a beautiful handmade item 2.) Watch your favorite TV shows 3.) Lose weight by not snacking/ burning calories. According to most activity calculators, knitting/ crocheting burns around 99 calories per hour. Not too shabby. If you did this every night and changed nothing else about your lifestyle you could potentially lose 10 pounds a year. Not bad for sitting on your butt.

Usually you can tell if your diet is working by weighing yourself or trying on your clothes. With The Crochet Diet just look at the progress you're making on that lovely afghan or sweater.

I have to practice what I preach, however b/c Baby C's navy blue sweater is still missing a sleeve, and it's going on 3 weeks now. That's no surprise since I've been hitting the ice cream in the freezer pretty hard most nights. But I resolve to be better and give The Crochet Diet the focus it deserves. Besides, birthdays, baby showers, and the holidays are coming up and I have gifts that must be made...and pounds to lose.