Gifts – Page 2

Santa baby . . .

. . . slip some needles under the tree, for me
I’ve been an awful good girl
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

This year for the holidays I am introducing these fabulous Santa Knitting Needles to the shop. They are fantastic. Each set has been masterfully crafted using Blood wood & Maple to create a striped effect. Each set includes 1 needle with a Blood Wood cap & 1 needle with a Maple cap.

There are only 8 of these special edition knitting needle left. So place your orders now!

Also, on Monday, Honey over at Mondorfment is hosting a give away for one of my portable weaving looms. If you would like to have a chance at winning one of these, make sure to remember to hop on over & sign up!

great gifts for knitters

1. Circular Needle Holder by Sevenannine

2. Row/Stitch Markers by Scarletfoxfibers

3. Silver Knit Ring by Aimeepawluk

4. Yarn Sewing Needles by Lesliewind

5. Vintage Figurine by Northwestnesters

6. Large Knitting Bag by Simplesmiles

7. Knit Notes by Papersheep

8. Knit Mug by Finnish Design Shop

9. Handspun Yak Yarn by The Rocking Yak

10. Knitting Needles by Joe’s Fiber Tools

11. Knitting Needle Bracelet by Sewnewthings

12. “Because I Love You” Tags by Lonelytreedesign

a handmade holiday

Today I was inspired by the words of Elizabeth over at The Sitting Tree as she shared with her readers the reasons why she has chosen to live a handmade life. She wrote:

“I know we each have our own individual, deep seeded reasons why we buy handmade gifts each year, but I wanted to share what has inspired us to live a handmade life….

*I live a handmade life, because… I have to create. Like I have to breathe. Or eat. To survive. When you purchase handmade from us or someone else, you’re allowing an artist to carry on. To nourish the soul. To find joy. Achieve dreams.

*I live a handmade life, because… I know exactly where my money is going. No middle men. No giant corporations. Just people trying to make a difference in the world. To real families, like us, who are paying the bills, putting food on the table, and reaching goals.

* I live a handmade life, because… I believe in quality over quantity. Purchasing high quality, well made items, means they will last for years, sometimes even a lifetime. Attention, detail, and a lot of love is infused into each item that passes through our hands.

* I live a handmade life, because… I want art to be unique and original. I love that when I wear one of my husband’s Tree Branch Necklaces, I know I’m never going to see anyone else wearing it.

* I live a handmade life, because… I care about the environmental impact of mass produced goods on our earth. From manufacturing, transporting, and disposal; the destruction is astronomical. All our items are either made of recycled materials or are organic material and can be composted back into the earth.

* I live a handmade life, because… I value connection. Through this blog and our shop we’ve met folks from all over the world. Becoming a part of each other’s lives, in some small, significant way is one of my favorite parts of living handmade. “

My husband & I chose to have handmade holidays when our children were born. We love the traditions that we have made with our kids involving them in making gifts for others. This year will be our first year having an entirely handmade Christmas. I have already enjoyed the challenge of finding gift ideas big & small that I can make to give away. I’ll be sharing some of these ideas over the upcoming weeks.

How have your holidays been handmade?

my dream craft fair

I thought it would be fun to put together a collection of artwork that would be found at my dream craft fair. Here are some of my favorites.

>>>1. sarahdee >>> 2. jane e roberti >>> 3. petit felts >>> 4. amber alexander >>> 5. moon silver studio >>> 6. bonjour frenchie >>> 7. blue room pottery >>> 8. odelae >>> 9. Tollipop >>> 10. joe’s fiber tools >>> 11. Hide n Seek >>>12. ellen giggenbach >>> 13. gabriel >>>14. fancy tiger >>> 15. the rocking yak >>>

Make your own collection, and leave a link in the comments below. I’ll pay a visit! I would love to see who your dream craft fair would host.

baby Isla

I made this blanket for a friend who had a baby over the summer. I used Jared Flood’s pattern Hemlock Ring (FREE on Ravelry!) with some stash yarn. I’m sorry, I can’t remember what it is. This is my favorite blanket pattern. I have to start the pattern when I am alone and without any distractions. The center flower section is pretty easy to get messed up on if I’m distracted. The feather and fan section of the blanket I now have memorized so I can travel with the project. I also don’t knit the entire blanket when I’m making it a baby blanket.

I made two and given both away as baby blankets. Next, I want to make full sized blanket (in yak of course!) for our home.

Along with the blanket I made this fantastic baby sweater. I used Kelly Brooker’s pattern Puerprium Cardigan (also FREE on Ravelry). I was able to this knit up in a day with Caron Spa (a bamboo blend) yarn. I think this will be my stand by for hand knit baby gifts.

knitted tissue cozy

IMG_0039 copy
mka101536_wi08_tissue_l As I was looking for some handmade stocking stuffer ideas on Pintrest, I came across these felt hankie holders made by Martha Stewart.

It gave me the idea to create some knitted ones. Here is a pattern I came up with while making some.

Materials:

worsted weight stash yarn in 2 (or more) colors (or any yarn that you prefer for the project)

a pair of straight needles US9 ( or an appropriate size for your preferred yarn)

a yarn needle

>>>>

Using an i-cord cast on, cast on 20 stitches in the contrasting color (cc).

Switch to the main color (mc) yarn and knit in stockinette stitch for 6.5″ ending with a knit row.

With the cc yarn purl on row.

Bind off using an i-cord bind off.

Turn the knitting wrong side out and fold so that the two i-cords overlap slightly in the center and sew the top & bottom shut with a mattress stitch.

Weave in all the loose ends.

Embellish with a crocheted edging, or embroidered designs. You could also add some ribbon or buttons.

boys tissue cozy