Digging out for the New Year

Our Christmas shovels are coming in handy already.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year!

WAVY scarf from Knitty

WAVY scarf from Knitty, originally uploaded by icewerks.

A PapaLoo present that I can finally post. Three skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and a pattern from the always wonderful (and how can it be free????!!!!) Knitty.

I must have started this project a dozen times before I found a pattern that was visually interesting but not too time consuming. My version is shorter than the original but I wanted something sleek for Papa to wear with his good dress coat. You know, for when he takes me out for New Year's Eve...

hmmm butter...

The one creative thing I blog least about yet do the most of is cooking. I'm sure that has a lot to do with not having the time or energy to take a decent photo during dinner time rush, but it's the holidays and I thought I should at least make an effort.

Pictured here are two of my cookie favorites, and since baking is literally at the end of my holiday to-do list, the only two cookies I'm making this year.
First up on the left are spicy cocktail shortbreads which, one could argue, aren't really "cookies" at all. They have both cayenne and chili powder in them and can pack quite a punch. I found this recipe in Food & Wine a few years back and was intrigued with the thought of a savory shortbread. As the name implies, these are really best with drinks, though Miss LoodyLoo, who loves her spices might disagree. PapaLoo is also a huge fan of these and will sneak the raw dough if given the chance.

The second batch on the right are Finnish Gingerbread pepparkakor. The recipe calls for the dough to be rolled out and cut with cutters but frankly I don't have time for the cleanup that would involve, especially with a toddler "helping". Instead, I formed it into a long roll, chilled it, then sliced. PapaLoo suggested the colored sugar and I think that was a brilliant idea. It gave a bit of crunch and the sparkle saved these from being mistaken for slices of foie gras. There's black pepper in these too so again, there's a bit of a bite to them. I also used all butter since shortening scares me.

This Christmas is a low key one in terms of gift giving from Miss Loody. MeMe will be getting a purchased gift but I wanted her to actually be involved in making something for Papa. Fortunately, I came across this recipe for Magic Pretzels in my December copy of Wondertime. I found it was the perfect mixture of hands on, hands off work for the two of us. Miss Loody was enthusiastic about the smooshing and I was happy the ingredient list was short and simple. Papa is a pretzel fanatic so I'm sure it will be a hit.
Sigh... but I have no idea what's for dinner tonight, ideas anyone??

less wuup wuup costs more

Why yes, that is a new pair of boring tan corduroys for Miss LoodyLoo...
Yes yes flannel lined, I know, we've seen this kung fu before...
But wait, here, take a closer look... notice anything odd?
PapaLoo is a bit of a clotheshorse (sorry dear, but you know it's true). He's not a fashion victim as that would entail buying new clothes that look, well... new, trendy, "fashionable". No, PapaLoo buys clothes that, from a distance, all appear to be the same outfit. I can not begin to tell you how many pairs of tan corduroys are in his side of the closet.

He does, however, like a bit of irony and subversiveness now and again and one of his current favorite oddities are a pair of these. Horizontal corduroys. Expensive horizontal corduroys that do not come in toddler sizes -- until now!

Because less wuup wuup shouldn't have to cost more. And all little girls deserve subversive corduroys just like their Papa for Christmas, don't you think?

Oz Smock

Time for another modified swing smock from Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. Nope, I just can't make the exact same thing twice -- that's why I have a hard time getting enough inventory for a craft show or my Etsy store. This time, I did a simple sewn overlap on the shoulder which made it easily reversible. I had just a fat quarter of this fantastic WIzard of Oz Cosimo Fairy Tale canvas from Japan but that was enough for the front of one side. I used a thin cotton yellow mini floral for the back which also cuts down on the bulk.
The flip side is another favorite fabric -- this time it's Alexander Henry's Zoo in sage -- which was left over from another project.
Each side is very different but I can't decide which I like best. Let's hope Miss LoodyLoo likes them too!

Peppermint Piggy

A piggy pocket project generously provided by Hillary at Wee Wonderfuls will be the perfect little pudgy friend for Miss LoodyLoo's stocking. Say that three times fast...

A small bit of pink felt left over from the gnome project and an hour squeezed in after dinner was all it took. Good thing too because at this point, that's all I have! Since Miss Loody is too young for buttons, I left off the wheeled platform, but boy it's cute.

Project wise It felt like I was treading water there for a while, but things are starting to come together -- like they always do with a week to go before C day. That's not to say some things didn't get shelved, but for the most part, I'm sticking to the plan, man.

We had around a foot of new snow this weekend though the sun is out today. New photos of finished stuff to come thanks to the decent light.

Mister and Missus

They are a lovely pair, the mister and missus gnomes from Wee Wonderful's pattern shop. Camera problems in the gloom this week, please forgive the blurry pics of late...
As predicted, I sewed them back to back -- mostly because I am obsessed with making things reversible lately, but also because, sadly, Miss LoodyLoo only has room for one gnome doll in her stocking. It makes for a bit of a seventies vibe too -- or is that just my childhood??
I also modified mister's hairline and turned his potential unibrow into a mustache, as a beard sans 'stache kinda freaks me out. So do unibrows... and monkeys... but I digress ...

I really wanted to find cotton stuffing, but no one locally has it and I couldn't wait for a special order. Polyfil felt too flimsy so I ended up mixing it with two leftover tangled-beyond-hope skeins of yarn from Miss Loody's personal yarn basket. She'll never miss them and the yarn lent a much more pleasing weight. More in keeping with the wool felt I used to piece it together, I think.
Surprisingly, the actual construction wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Futzy, sure, and I found that just pinning worked better for me than adhesive or stitch tape to hold everything together, but it was fun.
I've had my eye on a few more of Hillary's patterns, though they'll have to wait until after the holidays.
Now some mushrooms, on the other hand..... hmmmm....

flock a goo goo

There's a new flock in town, but they can't stay long if they're going to be in their new homes by Christmas.

Miss Loody Loo is partial to the polka dotted bluebird, so we may have to keep him in our tree.
They are made from scrap cotton fabric and a pattern from Last Minute Patchwork + Quilting Gifts. I've certainly made my fair share of christmas tree ornaments as a kid -- glittered mason jar lids, shrinky dinks, painted wood cut-outs -- but these are the first I've sewn. A bit fussy, but small things just are, you know.

Bigger things on the horizon though -- stay tuned!

Meet the babies

I had such plans for the babies. I bought big round heads for them and wanted to knit sweater sleeves and sew felted hoods to keep them warm.

However, instead of becoming a christmas stocking surprise, they became toddler fodder when I found Miss Loody Loo hip deep in my fabric boxes after a stealth wake up from her nap this afternoon. I needed to distract her, and fast! Out came the babies, naked and faceless. A quick swaddle in some scraps from the waste pile and Miss Loody was smitten.

She made her new friends walk-- walk-- walk across everything in sight. They had afternoon tea together and Miss Loody read them passages from her favorites books when they were tired and needed a nap.

The three of them are inseparable and she loves them very much. After all, real babies don't need fancy clothes or even finished faces, to make their mommies happy.

vest

With lots of slogging and frogging still going on in the knitting department, I decided to ignore my needles completely today and make something quick and easy for Miss Loody Loo.



A reversible vest from this book was just the ticket. Often I've wanted to add one more layer to her outfits without her ending up looking like the stuffed goose at Christmas dinner. The plain brown side is wool felt for warmth and the lovely japanese dobby weave will dress up all the boring long sleeved t-shirts she has.

I think these are such great colors for little kids and fortunately she's too young for the "must be pink to equal pretty" phase. It will come, I know, but until then, bring on the oranges, browns and golds.

It was such a fuss free project and I really needed that. Yesterday was an official snow day and while it was a luxury to have Papa Loo home for an extended weekend, it did put a kink in my secret santa crafting. To be able to start and finish this project in one day makes me feel like I'm still on track. Next year, more sewing and less knitting for Christmas -- that's going to be my New Year's resolution.

Cool ideas I didn't think of...

... but really want to try out myself!

These fabric trees from the small object are just plain cool. I can see doing them in paper too, but the idea of making them from those little bits of precious fabric that I just can't bear to throw away makes them extremely appealing in a responsible recycling kind of way.

I love the strong graphic quality and modern simplicity of these bulbs over at aliedwards. It's amazing how far rub on letters have evolved from the two basic block typefaces I remember as a kid. Check out some fab modern scripts over at scrapping grannies if you don't believe me. Little lower case "jane" holds her own too.

And I particularly covet these modern paper ornaments from design*sponge's DIY feature that I imagine looking wonderfully wintery done in shades of white.


This might be the last of the blue skies for a while with bad weather on the horizon. We hold off on decorating around here until the first weekend in December so we had better get that christmas tree cut tomorrow before the big storm hits. Happy first day of advent calendar opening, everyone!