Beneath Paper Stars

I love stars. I also have a lot of origami paper leftover from my youth. Obviously, this tutorial appealed to me.


A gift for my niece for her 13th birthday. She was quite thrilled with it, I'm told.

I very rarely purchase gifts for anyone. Honestly, I usually can't. We don't have the money to. And while crafting isn't free, it's possible to take inexpensive materials and turn them into something impressive. This particular project cost me $1.40 for the large hoop, $0.89 for the small ring at the top, and $1.40 for a hank of pearl floss. That's a total of $3.87 including tax. You could break it down further because I didn't use anywhere near all the floss...so that will live on to be included in another project. The paper was all stuff I already had from years ago. It was most likely given to me anyway. I also used some clear tape and hot glue...again stuff I already had. What can $3.87 buy you already made? Not a whole hell of a lot. Nothing worth buying, honestly.

Anyway, my whole point is crafting can save you a lot of money when it comes to gifts....HOWEVER...and this is important: if you're going to do a handmade holiday, you have to do it well.

Far too often people go handmade and fail at it in an epic way. Case in point: the too-short Fun-Fur scarf made by someone who just learned to knit and figured it would be a good way to save some cash. Fun-Fur is one of the most horrific yarns known to man...and I do use the term "yarn" very lightly in this case. I think the term "abomination" would be more fitting. Have you felt this stuff? Ugh! It's like the textile version of nails-on-a-chalkboard to me. Sure, it has uses...but use with caution and sparingly if you can. And if you still wish to subject your poor relatives and friends to this scarf-nightmare....AT LEAST MAKE SURE IT IS LONG ENOUGH.

Ahem...

Another handmade fail: the inedible cookie. IF you are going to bake for a holiday or gift-giving event...don't be a lazy ass and purchase a roll of cookie dough at the store. IF you're going to make cookies, actually MAKE cookies! And please make sure whatever you're baking actually tastes good. Also, it would be nice if you made whatever foodstuff it is close enough to the event so that they aren't hard as brick-bats by the time they are received.

Seriously people, you wouldn't want to get this junk as a gift...so why are you subjecting other people to it? If you honestly don't care enough about the person to make sure you do this handmade thing right, perhaps you shouldn't be gifting them anything in the first place....

...Or perhaps you really are just delusional.

Actually...that's probably it. Haha

Massive Post Christmas Craft Dump

The holidays are OVER! Rejoice! Sadly I've let the crafting photos pile up...so I figure it's about time I just post them all and get it over with.


Before the holiday I had a commission to make some knitted dolls for a friend's daughter. Two mermaids, two girls, a dog, and a cat. I was particularly happy with the mermaids!


I got a bit carried away with the knitting and decided to try my hand at designing a pattern for knitted ponies. Still a work in progress...but they didn't turn out bad by any means.


Next I came up with some knitted cars with wooden wheels. They do actually roll, which I was very happy about...I made 3 for Bear for Christmas and 2 more for her friend.



Not a great photo, but I knitted a cabled tam for my aunt. Bear is modeling it here.



Two Black Apple Dolls for Bear and E.



One for my niece.





A purse, sweats, and necklace set for my niece, Ash.




An art-roll and a memory game for my nephews.



And finally, I recovered a foam chair for Bear. :)

The Holidays Cometh

I have been doing massive amount of crafting, particularly knitting, in recent history. Sadly, my camera is currently at my mother's house so I can't take photos of anything. Bah! I left it there over Thanksgiving...but I should be getting it from her sometime this week.

ANYWAY....I have done a lot since the Halloween extravaganza. I set up a nature table by the door which I decorated for fall. I will be changing it over to winter/Christmas very soon. Knitting is my top hobby right now. I've made several hats, toys, and am now experimenting with Mobius baskets and bags. By the way, I have no idea why I haven't joined Ravelry till now! What was wrong with me?!? Obviously a site like that is practically made for me...so I seriously don't get why I put it off.

Oh, I have also taken up spinning wool with a drop spindle. It's rather addictive, by the way.

I recently purchased a Waldorf craft book published in 1986 (the year after I was born, by the way) that I'm absolutely in love with. Particularly the gnome hat knitting pattern which is why I bought it in the first place. I highly recommend The Children's Year...and it's a steal if you purchase it used. My copy cost under $3! I already finished Bear a gnome hat which has been a huge hit.

With the holidays coming up I, of course, have massive amounts of things to do. This evening I started work on a foam chair cover for Bear (to replace the original Spiderman motif)...I need to start work on some dolls. I purchased a few odds and ends this afternoon for that.

Beyond the crafting...this has just been a rough time of year for me. We're still waiting for news about our move. It's been a very slow and frustrating process. I'm trying to be patient and not go completely nuts while I'm trying to get work done in a very small space...

More pics coming soon!