A new sweater for Shadow

 

Shadow's new sweater is based on a pattern from the December issue of Crochet Today magazine. It is made up of little granny squares. I used a lot of 'leftover' yarn for it, which was a great way to get rid of those last little pieces. It is nice and 'cozy,' which is perfect for a small, short-haired dog who gets very, very cold!

Simple Xmas Decorating Idea

 

These poinsettias are made from red felt. I downloaded a free printable from online and cut two patterns from it. You could even do it freehand. Just make one layer with 6 petals (they are kind of flame-shaped), then make a second layer a bit smaller with 6 petals. You could get ambitious and add a few green leaves, but that might be too thick to fit behind the knob.

Cut a small slit in the middle of each piece, remove the knobs on a cabinet, then attach the flower behind the knob.

Red looks great on a white background, but you could think about snowflakes for a dark cabinet! You could even make those out of cardstock, since there's a lot more cutting involved.

This is the first of my Christmas decorations to go out. I have too coordinate with my boys to get all the boxes down out of the attic, which I plan to do ASAP! Good thing Thanksgiving fell early this year (hope you all had a Happy One!) because it gives us more time for Christmas decorating!

Progress

I've got a few more rows done on the snowflake blanket. It's doubtful I'll have it done for Christmas, but I am going to show it to Katherine on Christmas Eve and finish it ASAP. I just have too many other things to do.

Today I made Jamaican Beef Patties to put in the freezer for a Christmas Eve Appetizer. The recipe is in the October 1st-ish issue of Family Circle. Not sure of the date but there are Jack O Lanterns on the cover. They taste pretty good. 

I've already started my Christmas cookies, which are also in the freezer. There are just too many kinds I want to make to wait!

Meet Mr. Giraffe!

Here is the giraffe I designed and made for my nephew. He came out pretty good, I think! Nice and goofy, perfect for a 7-year-old! I'm going to give it to him on Thanksgiving so it doesn't get 'mixed in' with the 8,000 Christmas gifts he'll probably get. I think he'll like it!

Happy Halloween!

 

I didn't make this costume, but it looks so cute on Shadow I had to post it. After I got some photos and took it off, he 'attacked' it. Grrrr....

Baby Blanket Gift

Dr. A loved the baby blanket I made for her granddaughter. I almost didn't give it. When I laid it out, it was a little crooked. I think I am my worst critic. I actually started a new baby blanket and brought it to Ohio to work on. Got 20 rows done there. But when I got home I realized, at the rate I work on things, it would be 2 weeks or more before I finished it. And I have Christmas things to work on.

So I looked at the original blanket again and decided that only a judge in a contest would find it's flaws.  Most people that I know personally wouldn't even know how to hold a crochet hook, let alone make a blanket. I have to stop being my own worst critic. This is why I haven't started an Etsy shop yet, despite joining. Nothing that I make, to me, is good enough to sell. 

But, like I said, the baby blanket was a hit. So now I have a half-finished one for a future baby, too! I put it away with notes about the hook, yarn and pattern. Something to work in next January!

Silhouette Pumpkin

Silhouettes seem to be all the rage now. You can find examples in just about every October issue of every crafty magazine out there. I love the idea of doing something that is so easy and relatively inexpensive!

This little guy came from "Country Living" magazine. I downloaded the template from their website and traced it onto a white fake pumpkin. Then I just painted it with acrylic paint. The "Nevermore" was my own touch, since I can't think of a Raven without the quote from Edgar Allen Poe. BTW, did you read that poem in school? I can remember about 3 lines from it, and that it was about a girl named Lenore. 

I don't have my Halloween decorations out yet, only my Fall ones. I'll probably do Halloween next week, since I'll be in Ohio the first week of October. The first of the month is when I decorate for any given holiday (although I probably start Christmas soon after Thanksgiving since it is such a BIG holiday.)