Thanks for all the handmade Christmas love.  I really appreciated all your thoughtful comments.  We will be repeating it again come December and I have something up my sleeve to get most of my family involved, too.  And just to be clear, the handmade Christmas was only part of our gift giving.  I wish I could make more, but 2006 nearly did me in.  So from now on, a good mix of bought and made.  It works for me.

We are eleven days into 2008 already.  Eek!  It's going fast.  Before I lose the courage, I am going to throw out my goals for the year.  Here goes nothing....

Personal Goals:
1. Get back to my pre-Kate weight.
2. Run a half marathon
3. Cut out the crap food.
4. Write more.
5. Say yes to my kids more.
6. Practice patience.
7. Have a positive attitude.
8. Don't over-commit.

House Goals:
1. Make bed skirt and pillow shams for master bedroom.
2. Finish master bedroom duvet.
3. Finish guest room curtains and pillow shams.
4. Clean out all of the closets.
5. De-clutter.
6. Work on sunroom.
7. Paint hallways.
8. Carve out office space for myself.
9. Hang Kate's window treatments.
10. Make a shower curtain.
11. Order and install new blinds for the girls.
12. Hang kids' art and family photos.

Craft goals:
1. Make a quilt.
2. Finish the granny square afghan.
3. Knit the tangled yoke cardigan.
4. Sew some clothes for myself.
5. Finish swap projects on time.
6. Finish embroidery and get it framed.
7. Take a photo a day & learn how to really use my fancy pants camera.

I think these are all reachable.  I have a tendency to be unrealistic at times so I have edited this down in a big way.  Many of these projects are already started so I just need to finish them up.

By the way, these photos have nothing to do with this post.  I just like them and I really don't like posting without photos.  Just thought you should know.

Now, what was I saying?  Oh yeah, resolutions and stuff.  I did clean up the blog a bit - kind of a spruce up for the new year.  There's a new banner and new info on the about page.  You can find answers to lots of your questions over there.  Really.  Go look.  While you're at it, look down a bit and see my new link list.  I was really torn about how to handle the 100+ blogs I enjoy.  There is no way I can link to all of them and actually keep up with the list.  So I listed a few for now.  In a month or six weeks, I will change the list.  If your blog is not on the list now, don't fret.  Your time will come.  I'm spreading the love and not overwhelming myself at the same time.  I also added a little blurb about comments.  I love your comments.  I really really do.  Thank you for taking the time to make them.  I appreciate it so much.  Here comes the bad news...I am finding that I have less and less time to answer them, though.   My inbox runneth over so to speak.  So if you have a specific question, just email me.  I will do my best to answer it.  And please don't be mad at me, okay?  I really couldn't handle that.

Allright-y then...back to our regularly scheduled crafting next week.  I have some knits to share, a new sewing machine to unbox (!) and, if all goes well, a free pattern for you knitters.  Have a great weekend.

Oh yeah - I am looking for a good slow cooker cook book with kid friendly meals (we eat meat, but do vegetarian fare, too).  If you have a suggestion, email me - hillroad at bellsouth dot net.  Gracias!

Jane and Kate love to draw.  In our house, we go through paper and crayons and markers and pencils at a very fast rate.  And it is just not possible to keep all those masterpieces.  We keep a pile of artwork and edit it down from time to time, keeping the ones that tug at my heart the heart and the ones they absolutely cannot bear to let go.  Some have been embroidered - the tree shirt that Kate made last year being my favorite.  My idea for Fatty's gifts from the girls was to transform something that they drew into a shirt for him.  I was thinking freezer paper stencils like Hannah did for her husband's birthday.  But then we had a change of plan.  Enter the print gocco.

The first time I used the gocco, the girls were mesmerized.  After I had printed about 10 cards, Kate said, "Can I use it, please?"  I looked at her and a light bulb went off over my head.  I said, "Another time" and thought, "Oh yeah - she can make something for Fatty with the gocco."  A week or so later, she was home sick from school and in a matter of 15 minutes, we had the drawing.  Ten minutes later we had the shirt.

Not to be left out, Jane wanted in on the action.

Jane came up with her idea on her own.  That's a bowl of cashews next to the frothy beer, in case you were wondering.  Perfect gifts for the beer-selling (and drinking), bike-riding dad who happens to like t-shirts very much.  He loved them and has worn them both - in public!

Something else that Fatty enjoys is cooking.  He does grill duty on a regular basis and often cooks one-pot meals on Sunday.  So you can probably guess what I made him.....his very own apron.

He had made a comment about how much he liked that blue and green fabric when I was making Finn's elephant.  I already had bought the blue twill for his apron and was going to use a different print, but this one really is perfect.  The straps are a bit long - I need to fix that sometime.  My favorite part was using the print to hold the d-rings up by the neck.  I am pretty sure he was surprised.  I don't think he had any idea what I was making - in fact, if I would bet he thought whatever it was would be knitted.  He really likes it - he's told me so many times.  And I am sure he will wear it.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for Sunday.  I am counting on a nice one pot meal.

Get your cup of coffee and settle in.  This is a long one.

Let's start with Fatty's gifts for the girls.  Remember how I told him that he could burn me a CD and I would be happy?  Well, that is what he did for the girls.  Jane and Kate both have CD players in their rooms and are constantly asking us to make them copies of our CDs.  So Fatty spent the better part of a Sunday creating playlists for each of them on itunes.  He burned the CDs and put them in a CD case of their own.  They loved this.

Jane's disc:
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
Way Back When - Donna the Buffalo
Shine - Dolly Parton
Lakes of Pontchartain - The Be Good Tanyas
Penny Lane - The Beatles
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - The Jayhawks
My Right Versus Yours - The New Pornographers
Laughing - R.E.M.
Singular Girl - Rhett Miller
Children of December - The Slip
6 String Belief - Son Volt
Mysterious Ways - U2
The Long Cut - Uncle Tupelo
Everything I Do - Whiskeytown

Kate's disc:
Silver Lining - Rilo Kiley
Walking On The Moon - The Police
Hello, Goodbye - The Beatles
Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Waiting for the Sun - The Jayhawks
Blankets - The Gourds
Life Is Just A Tire Swing - Jimmy Buffett
Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
Catapult - R.E.M.
Get Off My Cloud - The Rolling Stones
Windfall - Son Volt
One - U2
We've Been Had - Uncle Tupelo
Either Way - Wilco

And me....well, I knitted ponchos for the girls.  Completely inspired by the one Kristin made for her daughter, I started with Kate's.

This is the back so you can see the hood.  Kristin told me that she wished she could make the hood bigger - I am so glad she did.  Kate has a big noggin, so I made some adjustments to accommodate it.

I also added pom poms to the drawsting for a little whimsy.  I would be lying if I told you that I didn't think they would add to the appeal.  My kids are all about the pom poms.

When it came time to knit Jane's, my plan was to make it the same, but just in a different color.  When it came time to pick up the stitches for the hood, I hesitated.  Given her pickiness in clothing, I wasn't sure if the hood was such a good idea.  I knew she would like the pom poms, but I wasn't convinced that she would want the hood.  I asked Fatty what he thought and he agreed with me.  I decided to leave the hood off and if she really wanted it, I could always add it on later.

Without the hood, it needed something.  I added a sweet flower pin, in her favorite color turquoise.  I actually showed her 5 fabrics and asked if I were to make her something out of one or two of them, which would she want.  She chose two Denyse Schmidt prints and I pulled out my copy of Blair's great pattern and whipped this up in less than fifteen minutes.  I took the Sarah route and cut circles with my pinking sheers instead of the scallops because time was not on my side.

For you knitters out there, here is the scoop:
Pattern:  Knitting Pure and Simple, Children's Ponch (#243)
Yarn:  Nashua, Creative Focus Worsted, 3 skeins of hot pink for Kate and brown for Jane (I probably could have done Jane's with two if I had made it about 1/2" shorter)
Needles:  16" and 32" circulars, size 8
Modifications:  I added 1" of length to Kate's hood and made 3 sets of increases along the center back of the hood to allow more room for her big head.  I added pom poms to the i-cord drawstring on Kate's also.  Jane's didn't get a hood.
Notes:  This pattern runs small.  My girls wear about a size 8 - I knit the size 10 to 12.

Kate loves hers - she wore it all Christmas day!  I was standing in my brother's kitchen and saw her running in the back yard, hood on, pom poms flying with a huge smile one her face.  I wish I could have captured it on film.

And Jane....well, at first I think she was disappointed she didn't have pom poms.  But I knew that was a gamble.  In the end, I think it paid off.   She has decided against the hood which is fine by me.  She wears her poncho all the time - sometimes with the pin, sometimes without.  She would sleep in it if she could.  Well, if I would let her.

Little does she know that by loving something I made her, she gave me the best Christmas present of all.

Jane and Kate jumped aboard my handmade plan from the start.  We had a lot of fun discussing what they would make each other.  Jane knew right away that she wanted to make Kate some jewelry.  She had received a huge bead kit for her birthday (thank you Auntie Heather and Uncle Tiger!) and some extremely coveted shrinky dinks from one of her friends.  The Saturday before Christmas, Fatty and I split up.  He took Jane to my brother Ryan's house where she crafted while the men bottled their home brewed beer.  I sent her with a bag of supplies, some loose direction (i.e., make sure you punch the holes right so the charm will fit!) and she came home with her gift to Kate held in her balled up hand.  She insisted on making a fabric bag to hold her creation.

And inside was this:

A very pink bracelet with two heart charms and one that says princess.  Kate was over the moon!

Kate's gift for Jane was guided a bit by me.  She had all kinds of grandiose ideas that were not feasible, especially a jewelry box that she wanted to make, not just decorate.  I told her that we would take a trip to the craft store together and that I thought a picture frame might be nice for Jane.  The great thing about Kate is that she is flexible so she was fine with my suggestion right away.

One trip to Michael's later we came home with a $1 frame, paint, glue and that irresistible Martha Stewart glitter (it's so sparkly!).  Kate also picked out a small cutout to put on the frame because she knows Jane has a thing for monkeys.  Thank goodness I had some extra photos on hand from our Christmas cards.  Not only did it fit the frame, but it actually matches!

Jane loves it - it is her favorite color with her favorite animal with lots of sparkle allure.  She has it sitting next to her bed so she can see it first thing in the morning.  And Kate wants to make more - I think that may have something to do with the glitter.

As for me, I think they outdid themselves again.  They both made something that their sister would like, not necessarily something that they would want.  They worked hard to get them finished on time and then wrapped them up, too.  And they were gracious recipients.  I am proud of them.  I know in my heart that they not only appreciate handmade, but they might actually enjoy giving and receiving it too.

I was completely taken aback by the gifts the girls and Fatty made for me.  I really thought I would get some paint-your-own pottery.  The girls love to do that and it would be easy enough for all three of them to accomplish when they went on their secret mission.  I was wrong.  So wrong.

Instead, Fatty took the girls to blow glass!  Blow glass, people.  I have never blown glass and I had no idea that six and eight year olds would be able to blow glass.  Well, they did.  And I was flabbergasted when I opened the package.  Inside were three gorgeous ornaments, each unique and lovely.  If the packages hadn't said who they were from, I think I could have guessed.  All three glass blowers thought of my tastes, but they each put a great deal of their own personality into their creations.

White, blue and green from Jane

White, pink, purple and red from Kate

Green, red and yellow from Fatty

They outdid themselves, didn't they?  I am in awe of this gift.  I think these are too pretty to sit in a box all year long, waiting for December to be hung.  I am going to hang them in front of a window next to our kitchen where I can admire them all year long. 

Lucky, lucky me.

Sometime last fall, maybe in November, I told Fatty that I thought that he should make ME something for Christmas.  I think I was in the middle of knitting his sweater and feeling a bit overwhelmed about how much I wanted to make for others.  At the same time, I was sad that I never receive handmade gifts.  Well, not from my family.  If you know Fatty, you would understand the quizzical look he gave me.  I said something like, "I don't care if you burn a CDfor me.  Would you please just make me something?"  He thought about it and a day later, he was in.

How it happened, I am not sure, but somehow I managed to transform this into each of the four of us (Fatty, me, Jane and Kate) making something for each other.  I knew I could manage the girls' gifts for each other and for Fatty and kept my fingers crossed that he would manage to help them make something for me.  I want my children to understand that thought and the time that goes into making a gift for someone.  I really wanted to do something to counteract the clothes debacle of last summer.  It is important to me that they appreciate handmade.

Well, the girls and I tossed around lots of ideas.  Most were rejected because they were just impractical and in some cases impossible.  Fatty thought his hat was his gift - it wasn't.  I knitted the girls' gifts in front of them and they never asked me what I was doing.  Fatty took the girls away one Saturday afternoon on a secret mission.  That left me guessing.  Jane took some craft supplies she received for her birthday and made something beautiful for Kate.  Kate made something in Jane's favorite color.  I sewed for Fatty.  Fatty spent an afternoon on the computer creating something for each of the girls.  Between the four of us, we used fabric, thread, plastic, pencils, yarn, glue, wood, glitter, ink, metal, glass and paint.

There were secrets - some kept better than others - and lots of plotting, planning and actual crafting.  Christmas morning it all unfolded before my eyes.  It was amazing.  Everything was made with great care and love.  And everything was received with an open heart and immense gratitude.  And they were all given with much anticipation and excitement.  It couldn't have been better.

I told you I was saving my favorite for last.  Back next week with all of our creations.

You are good guessers....the puppy wasn't mine.  That is the work of Anna Maria Horner - it's available as a download at her site.  I did reduce it significantly to fit on the baby t-shirt.  The rest were mine.

OK, back to the handmade.  Did you wonder what those mysterious gifts in the muslin bags were?  I made all of my nephews softies.  Three got patchwork elephants -the pattern is in Last-Minute Patchwork Gifts and is by Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls.

From top to bottom:  for Kenan, for Declan and for Finn.

I loved sewing this pattern and can see myself making more.  It is really straight forward and surprisingly easy to put together.  I used corduroy for the bodies and cotton for the ears and blankets.  I love how the textures and the fabrics are both patchwork.  I wish I would have made the eyes smaller, but I didn't follow the pattern for that part.  Lesson learned.

The other three nephews got robots.  This is also a Wee Wonderfuls pattern.

on the left, for Evan, and on the right, for Ian.

for Miles.

I have made this pattern before and it is easy, too.  There is more sewing involved than there is with the elephants and the embellishing can be simple or very intricate.  I went with simple here.  Miles's robot had his control panel sewn on the machine and I like it just fine although the hand embroidery does show up a bit better.  Also, I had originally planned on making Finn a robot instead of an elephant, but I cut through the seam on one of the robots and had to remake one item.  The elephant was faster so that is what he got.

That's it for the nephews.  There is more handmade to come....I am saving my favorite for last.

I have a prediction....you are probably sick of Christmas gifts, but I think you are only going to get sicker.  Really, I have some stuff to share.  So here I go - the beginning of the handmade gifts.  I made much less this year than I did last year.  For many reasons, I think this was better (time, energy, stress, appreciation of handmade, etc).  My six nephews received the highest quantity of handmade goods.   Here is part one - the t-shirts.  I am especially proud that all but one of these designs were drawn freehand by me.  Can you guess which one wasn't?

a turtle for Evan

a penguin for Finn

a whale for Miles

an elephant for Ian

a puppy for Kenan

and a giraffe for Declan.

Looking back on these, it is really evident to me which one isn't mine.  Maybe that is because I made them - who knows?

Back tomorrow with handmade, part two.