Gifts for Others

I already blogged about the Minecraft quilt for Beadboy2.  I also made a scarf for Beadboy1 (crochet, this time; no more knitting for me!):

And a Flash t-shirt for Beadboy3 (which, within an hour of being put on, got covered in blue paint,  hot cocoa, and who knows what else):

It's not Christmas if I don't stitch something for my mom:

The pattern is from Better Homes & Gardens's Christmas Quilts & More. I simplified the design somewhat, used several colors of thread, and trimmed the dishcloth in a holly print fabric.

Happy New Year!

Finished!

Beadboy2 knows it's coming, but I hope he enjoys it.

As with Beadboy1's quilt, it was quilted by Susan Woods of Valentine Quiltworks, and again she did a fabulous job.

Two done, one to go! But I kind of want to take a break from such massive projects.

Advent Blog Hop Day 19

Greetings, blog-hoppers! It's time for Jo's annual Advent Blog Hop.

As is usual for this time of year, I'm focused on finishing some handcrafted gifts, so I haven't had as much time to stitch. I did finish a pillow, using Jedi Craft Girl's adaptable "I Love Cats" pattern:

My quilting is not great, probably because I didn't use a hoop (the small size of the project and the decision to use perle cotton size 5 tricked me into thinking it wouldn't be necessary).

I also made a couple of felt ornaments by Betz White. A Christmas pie (kind of liked what I baked for Thanksgiving!):

A festive llama, using DMC's new, sparkly Mouliné Étoile threads which I received as a birthday present:

I have done a bit of cross stitching, specifically StitchyFish Design's "Partridge in a Pear Tree" pattern from the 2018 Christmas Ornaments:

 It's working up quickly, and I hope to finish it after the 25th.

Jo asked us to pick a favorite holiday song, and hoo boy is that tough. So I'm picking three!

One of my favorite religious songs:


One of my favorite secular songs:


One of my favorite Puerto Rican songs:


I hope you all have a lovely, peaceful holiday!

Book Round-Up

Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman: I'm annoyed I spent money on this, rather than getting it from the library; it really wasn't very good. It's the first in yet another series of crafty cozy mysteries, this time centered around crochet. The mystery itself was fine, but the characters were terrible. I think the author was going for "flawed and relatable," but really they were just selfish, petty, and materialistic.

Get in Trouble by Kelly Link: her latest story collection, most of which have been published before. Link is one of my absolute favorite writers, and this did not disappoint. Her stories cover everything from space ships to superheroes to elves to futuristic technology, but linking (ha) all of them is the humanity of the characters. Whether you are in a pocket universe or a magical house, love, loss, pain, loneliness, and yearning are always there.

Possession by A.S. Byatt: Every time I read this book I find something new to focus on. This time around it's the use of color and Byatt's insight into people, and all the various ways we try to possess one another (get it?). This is one of the most intelligent, romantic, fascinating books I've ever read, and I can't get enough of it.

Granny Square Fingerless Mitts

Now that I've joined the ranks of the smart-phone using, I needed gloves that are touch-screen compatible. Which means I also needed fingerless mittens/gloves/what-have-yous to keep my hands warm on my cold commute. I looked at some patterns on pinterest, but they seemed beyond my abilities, especially the ones that make actual little tubes for one's digits. Granny squares, on the other hand, I can do, and Annie's A Granny Square Christmas had the perfect pattern:

The pattern may have been super easy (make two squares, so them together leaving a gap for the thumb, crochet a few more rows above and below), but it took me forever to pick out the yarn -- at least three colors, worsted weight, same material, preferably from my stash. I didn't succeed, and used yarn of two different weights in three different fibers (don't tell the Crochet Police! Or my aunt, the self-described "yarn snob"!)

I love granny squares. I'm itching to sew together these into a pillow top, and I want to buy some nice cotton yarn in, say, five colors, to make a sampler, but I'll wait until the new year; I'm way behind in my Christmas projects.

A Novel Use for Thread Ends

And an idea I shamelessly stole from the MOFA's group on facebook:

I had a little tube left over from a Blueberry Cove Beads box, so I stuffed it with purple, fuchsia, and gold thread snippets.

While I was gluing the lid, I decided to knock a super easy project off my to-do list: gluing ear posts to the backs of metal buttons.

Lately I'm loving antique brass findings -- a nice change of pace from silver, and less flashy than gold.