It’s finished!

I actually knitted the last sock on November 30, and got it all strung up and had each sock filled with something by the time the kids got up on December 1.   Usually I’m not that…prompt.  Score one for me!

I used all Elann Peruvian Highland Wool for these, except for the white yarn, which is some leftover Knit Picks Merino Style.  I love both yarns.  I’m turning into a real wool lover, for some reason.  It’s so soft and cozy and feels good to knit.  As I said before, this project was inspired by Beth, and you’ll see some socks that look familiar, like this tree sock.

I experimented with some different striping patterns, and also did quite a few of the old “contrasting heel” type socks.  I love those.

I’m not a big fan of intarsia, which you can’t easily do in the round anyway, so I cheated and did a strange fair-isle/intarsia combo thing with this snowflake.  It shows.

Inside each sock is a Bible verse, and either a little treat for each child (like a Hershey’s kiss or a small candy cane) or a piece of paper with an activity on it that goes with the theme of the verse.

I found these verses in a printable PDF form (wish I could find them to link to, but I can’t) and was really excited when I did.  I even laminated them.  Only problem is, when I went to read the actual verses, they weren’t exactly what I had expected.  The one above, for example, is about Jesus and bread and certainly ties in with baking.  But I really wanted verses which tell of the Christmas story specifically, because after all, this is an advent project.  Also, some of the verse selections are REALLY long.  I have little ones, and their attention span isn’t really that great yet.  So, I’m looking for different verse selections to use for the rest of the month…I’m considering these and these right now.  I love any OT references to the birth of Christ so I’m leaning toward the one that starts with Isaiah, but the other one has some OT verses as well.  Never mind that we’ll be several days into December by the time I choose one, print them out and laminate them…unlike last year’s quickie advent calendar, this is meant to be a keeper!

Here’s a fun Christmas craft project.  Sorry the photo is so eye-blinkingly washed out.

The short tree was the first one we (I) made, following these instructions from Crayola almost exactly.  I found the gluing and the ribbon part very fiddly and didn’t care to repeat it, but I really wanted the kids to make some.  Then I remembered magazine Christmas trees and decided to try it with construction paper.  Since the paper wasn’t bound, I machine sewed a line right down the middle of the stack of paper (I used 8 sheets for the big, solid green tree).  Then I folded each sheet just the like the magazine tree instructions described.  It was easy enough that I thought the kids would like it, so I made two more little “books” with some old scrapbooking paper for them to try.  DJ is 6 and it was really easy for him to catch on.  AJ is almost 5, and while she needed me to sit and help her make the folds, it was fun to do together and she loved it.  After we folded them all up, we added garlands of random crafty materials I had in the closet.  We didn’t spend a penny on them, and now we have a lovely centerpiece for our table!

I tried something super yummy today…hot chocolate with crushed candy canes in it.

Oh, it’s good!  Here’s how I make hot chocolate.  I put some milk in a small saucepan, add a few spoons of Ghirardelli sweet ground chocolate, a splash of vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  Whisk and heat to your liking.  Add marshmallows and crushed candy canes, and voila!  You’re in the Christmas mood!

Something else kind of fun.  Guess who’s learning how to knit, and even has her own “monogrammed” needles?

Or is that new yarns?  Three years ago I knitted AJ this little hat out of Lion Landscapes yarn.

She loved it.

So, of course, when she grew out of it I had to make her another one.

She actually did like the first one, and asked me to knit her a second, and I was happy to do it for her. And she’s happy, too.

Speaking of happy, Happy Thanksgiving!

This is our driveway.

Think we need to rake?

We’re 16 days into our countdown to Thanksgiving.

Some of my favorite things we’re thankful for include toes…home…my bed…today…friends…ears…the house is clean (thank you, DJ, for saying that!)…but one of the best is the brown one, upside-down near the bottom…

I love it!  This will be a family keepsake for sure.  (Did I already say, I could see this made in quilting fabrics, with appliqued leaves and hand embroidered words?  Maybe next year!)

ETA:  my hubs is the one who wrote “mama’s cooking” on the brown leaf…and he was talking about me! :)

We’re working on a project for the month of November.  I had read an article recently about someone who had embarked on a month-long gratitude project, writing down things he was thankful for every day.  At the end of the article, it gave ideas for how to do the same thing yourself with your kids, and it seems like it said something about making a tree…but now I don’t remember exactly what it was, just that it was the springboard for my own idea.

Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.  Colossians 2:7

I decided to make a giant tree on posterboard and then have each family member cut out leaves in a personal color.  AJ chose orange, DJ chose green, I chose yellow, and my husband had to take brown (we’ve somehow used up all of our red construction paper).  Now, for each night from now until Thanksgiving, we’ll each write down one thing we’re thankful for.  You can’t write down the same thing twice, and you have to think of what to write on your own.  The first two nights, AJ was thankful for her unicorn and her bat ring.  Last night it was MAMA. :)  DJ has written down Mama, Daddy, and Jesus so far.  I’ve written down AJ, DJ and my husband.  The hubs is behind and needs to catch up already!  Here’s a partial close-up.

We’re enjoying the project so far, and I can’t wait to see the tree when it’s covered with 104 leaves by Thanksgiving Day.  We decided last night that a lot of leaves will have to be stuck on the “ground” by then!

Other things I’m thankful for:

• Homeschooling.  Even though we have our “days”, and if you homeschool you probably know what I mean, it’s mostly a great experience for all of us.  I love not having to rush around in the mornings and take kids to school.  I also love the notion that in another few years, there will be no evening homework, because we’ll get it done during the day!  What a concept!

• Hobbies.  I’ve been loving the knitting lately.  I’m past the sleeves on my featherweight cardi now and can’t wait to finish!

• Fall.  It’s such a relief, after the heat and heaviness of summer in the south.  I took the kids out for a walk the other day to collect pretty colored leaves for a notebook, and we enjoyed the cooler sunshine so much.  I’m also thankful that we live in a quiet neighborhood where we can head out the door and wander around and feel safe.

One more fall photo for fun.  I love this time of year!

What are you thankful for?

It has been so wet here lately!  Even the mushrooms are growing mushrooms!

A little peek at the knitting…

The advent sock garland is almost half finished. I’m taking color cues from nature, Christmas, my kids (so far they have “designed” one sock each), and from Beth’s pretty socks. Many of the stripe patterns are fibonacci patterns (1-1-2-3-5), which looks really nice with three colors.  The pumpkin/white/purple at 10:00 (below) is one example.

I’m also working on my Featherweight cardi. I never thought I would get this far, because it’s laceweight. Black laceweight. And it has to grow big enough to fit me. But, I’m hanging in there, and I’m only 10 or so rows from dividing for the sleeves!

It’s so funny; I feel a need to post something here, but there’s not much to post and I don’t have any photos.  For some reason, it bugs me to write a pictureless blog post!  Maybe it’s just because I like pictures so much.

I’ve been busy working on the Christmas stocking advent garland that I mentioned in an earlier post (Ravelry link); I think I have 12 socks done?  In which case, I’m halfway through!  Not bad.  By now  I’ve totally got short row heels memorized.  Which is good, because that’s what usually slows me down in sock knitting.  These are little socks, knitted in worsted weight, so it’s really satisfying to knit them.  A sock in an hour and a half–can’t beat that!

I’m also desperately needing to start sewing AJ some dresses for church.  She has one or two things that can pass for fall if she wears them over a long-sleeved tee, but she needs new stuff badly.  Finding the time to sew has been tough lately, though.  I’m training for a half marathon too, so some of my free time is being used up by running right now.  I ran a 7-mile training run on Saturday and felt like I almost ran my legs off afterward. :)  I’m looking forward to running a 10K next weekend with the same friends who are running in the half with me in December.  I’m really looking forward to it!

And then there’s Halloween.  I really wanted to make the kids’ costumes this year, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.  Time is too short–even shorter since we need them by next Wednesday for Trunk or Treat at our church.  AJ wants to be a dog (a “soft” one, specifically—which made me want to sew her a little suit out of Minkee SO badly!).  I’m not sure what DJ wants to be, but I’m willing to bet he’ll go for Batman or whatever we see at the stores.  And there’ll probably be dog costumes somewhere.  Sigh.  I wish there was time to do everything…I have way too many hobbies!