The Giving Flower

It was an incredibly busy around here last week. There was a lot of searching for some of this

to call our own. I do think we might have gotten lucky. More to tell, hopefully, soon.
Between blasting migraines and kids who need to eat 24/7, I’ve been knitting as much as possible on my secret of the stole 2, but it doesn’t seem to grow much.

I’m one clue behind and I’m afraid I need a bit of a time warp to catch up. Maybe this week will bring some quality knitting time.
I have also been doing a few other creative things lately that are top secret, but here is a sneak peek.

I do miss my sewing machine and I’m counting the days until I have a bit more room to spread myself out to sew. Oh the thought of sewing and not immediately cleaning up is worth all the stress in the world!!

I don’t have much to show this week but I’ve got to get back to dinner. I’ll try to do better next time. Toodles!

Thanks, Judy, for the amazing sand snowflake ornament-I love it!!!

This ornament is made of sand from her beach and the money earned from the sales goes back to saving the beaches. Too cool.
Here are this year’s two ornaments the kids picked out at the Christmas market:

Santa was also good to me this year. He had the coolest new memory game made for me. It’s pictures of all of my finished projects: (click for big)

It is soo much fun playing with your own FOs. Santa was a smart man to find this for me.
I also got cashmere yarn for a sweater vest from Rowan #42. Ohh this is sooo soft. I’m quite far but have yet to get a picture.

Baby Born boy (Ben) was welcomed with open arms. Alida loved his new socks and mittens too. The day after Christmas I took out my sewing machine and made a new towel for him.

Now the bathing can begin. And it has! FO to come.

And now it can, the last of the presents are bought and wrapped and I’ve finished the kids’ stockings. (click for bigger)

I was so worried I wouldn’t find the time to finish these but yesterday turned out to be a good day to sew. The fabric had the stocking pattern on it, all I had to do was cut it out, put in a backing and lining and quilt them. I even machine quilted around the pockets, fur trim and beards so it all looks puffy.

The names aren’t the greatest but considering it was all done free-hand because my machine isn’t an embroidery machine while I simultaneously dressed and undressed Polly Pockets, I think they came out ok.

Oh and here is one more cute little FO that surprisingly enough kept me up until 2:30 am. I had to rip them out a couple of times because those plastic little feet are a tough fit. Here are Baby Born boy’s new socks:

How can he come into this family without some toasty warm handmade socks?? Once again, the pattern for these is written up and available for free, just leave me a comment and I’ll send it off.

Oh gosh, who is having more fun, me or the kids? Christmas can come!!

I’m so envious (in a good way, of course) of all of you who have your own sewing rooms. I dream of the day when I can just walk to my machine and start sewing. Right now, living in this small apartment and having very little space for all my fibery goods, I have to use the table in the living room to sew. This means taking everything off and setting up which can be rather time consuming. While I’m sewing, my fabric and patterns are strewn across the living room leaving little space for anything or anyone else. I then need to take a break to feed the kids who want to eat usually shortly after setting up on the same table. On most days I just don’t have the energy for it all, so I sit and knit or spin instead.

A few Sundays ago I found a bit of that sought-after crafty energy and was able to get some sewing done before we went for our family run. I made this lovely Dora pillow for Alida. Lovely is her new word, don’t ask where she got that one but I do like it.

I found this fabric, or should I say Alida found this fabric, last summer and had to have it. I decided to make a small pillow case and Alida has crowned it her lovely pillow. She just adores Dora.
Oh and speaking of lovely, I’m so glad Alida talks to me in English and to everyone else in German, after having Alexander only speak German, it’s nice to hear a little voice speak English.

Once I started sewing there was no stopping me, so I also made these two cases.

One is a double point needle case and the other, as you can see, is for my ever-expanding crochet hook collection. What a great excuse to use the fabric I adore. Did you see the Giving Flower tag on the dpn case? I’ve started using my new logo for cards that have care info on the back for things that I give to others. That needle case was a gift for Tamina from my knitting group. She is always doing little caring and thoughtful things for me and for others, so I thought I would make her something made with love to thank her for being a wonderful blog and real-life friend.

More tomorrow if my throat stops hurting and this headache goes away. No jogging today, I’m off to bed.