Hat Addiction

So I've developed quiet a collection of hats over the fast few months.  I started with the request of my niece Alex, through to a gift for a friend and along the way, 4 hats for me at this point!

 Cabled Hat from Knit Simple magazine.  I made two of these, one for Alex and one for me.

 Cozy Cabled Hat using Loops &Threads Cozy Wool - the pattern was on the ball band.

 Low Brow Cowl and Hat - this has gotten a LOT of wear since it was finished.  

Hide Your Hair Slouchy Beanie by Heidi at snappy-tots using Red Heart Boutique Treasures in Watercolors.  I find it to large so I've bought another skein to crochet it a smaller size.  I loved this yarn and for the very inexpensive price, I was impressed.  I found a cowl to crochet to match so I hope to knock that out too.  I will donate this one so someone can put it to good use.

And finally, another Cozy Cabled hat that I completed last night.  Just in time for the arctic weather that is arriving overnight.  We've had a really mild December so this will be seasonal weather but a still unwelcome reminder that we're just at the start of winter.

Oy do I have a pointy nose!  LOL

Christmas 2014 Recap

Belated Merry Christmas greetings to those of you who celebrate that holiday!

For the first time in the almost 10 years I've lived in Maine, I actually spent Christmas in Maine!  Usually I got to family in NH but they were leaving very early on Christmas day to head to FL so we decided to get together when they come back and that worked out great for me.

On Christmas eve, one of us was busy doing last minute wrapping.  This was the pile of things that needed to be taken care of:

And this was how Beau spent his Christmas Eve!  Lazy hound dog.....

I had all the ingredients we usually have for Christmas morning, cinnamon rolls and a breakfast casserole.  Being on my own, it allowed me to try out a new recipe from Southern Living magazine - Cheesey Sausage and Croissant casserole.  It was good!

I also had the makings for Mimosas on hand which are traditional in my family.  Quite a nice way to get some Vitamin C!

And after that I settled in to open a few gifts.  A friend came by around noon and we went out to lunch at a local Chinese restaurant and then took a long walk in the ridiculously warm weather (53!!) with the dog.

I hope that wherever you were and whoever you were with, you had a nice day.

It's a rainy day here today so I'm planning to sort out what my stitching plans are and do some knitting which I will share tomorrow.

Just in time finish

Last night I put the finishing touches on the finishing for my niece's stitched gift.  Do you ever know instantly how you're going to finish a piece as you start stitching it?  That was how it went for me with this piece.  I had a picture of what I wanted the finished piece to look like in my head almost immediately and I'm happy to say, it came out perfectly.

When I started this piece, I wasn't jazzed about the DMC colors called for but as it got closer to being fully stitched, I was very happy with how it turned out.  I think stitching it over one was the key to making me fall in love with it.  I love the little owl!

I took a series of photos to show the finishing stages:

Gathering the materials

Ready for trimming

Ready to make cording - 3 colors!

Boarder trim complete

Cording close up.  The three DMC colors were used in the project and I'm really happy with how the colors blended in the cording.

With the hanger attached

 

I debated whether or not to sew or glue on the cording and decided to go with glue. Usually glue + me = disaster but this time, I took the finishing in stages to minimize accidents and my own frustration and everything turned out happy.  I hope my niece likes it!

That is my last handmade gift so I can turn my thoughts to 2015 projects and boy, do I have a lot in mind!

Those Christmas carols lie...

They tell us it's the happiest time of the year when in fact it's the complete opposite for so many people.  Working in the health care field, I often get to witness that for many, many of us, it is in fact a very sad and horrible time of year.  Today was an especially hard day and I am struggling to focus on the positives of the holiday season. 

Please, please, please be kind to those you encounter this holiday season because your kindness can be unbelievable important and impact decisions you never know are being made all around you. 

Now that I've totally rained on your holiday spirit, I do have some positive Christmas gift progress to share.

I've finished the stitching on my neice's gift.  I'm very ambivalent about the fact that there is a sort of bottom border and that it doesn't care around the rest of the piece.  I debated completing it but just wanted to move on the the finishing part so I'm leaving it as is.  Unless your comments make me change my mind before I tackle the finishing this weekend....   I plan to finish it as a little wall hanging piece with cording around the edges.  Nothing too fancy or fussy I think.

And I've also managed to finish a hat for a friend.  This took one skein of a super bulky yarn I found at Michael's and I have to say I think I'm going to grab another skein and make one for myself.  It is very snug and warm and was very easy to knit.

I hope wherever you are, that you are finding joy in your holiday preparations and celebrations!

Sunday Stitching

I actually have some stitching to show!  I spent a large part of my Sunday sitting on my hiney in front of the TV watching stupid holiday movies on the Hallmark channel and then watching the Patriots lose.  The good part of the day was I was able to get some stitching done on what I hope to be a Christmas present.

Now that it's December 2nd, I really need to pick up the pace.  There's one more line and a small border and then I need to figure out how I want to finish it and get 'er done.