Before I take down the Christmas decorations and prepare for a lucky New Year I thought I would share some more maker moments from this past month.


I took advantage of the Lion Brand Wool Ease thick and quick yarn that I used in the cat project I shared earlier and made an infinity scarf for my office secret Santa.  I really like how it knit up and used a free Ravelry pattern "Simple Knitted Infinity Scarf".  The color way is oatmeal and I really like the tweedy neutral it provided!  The weather has dropped here in Missouri and I just might need to knit one of these up for myself!




I also knit up a couple of pairs of fingerless mitts.  The pattern, "Waffle Stitch Fingerless Gloves" was also free on Ravelry and a really great pattern that is easy to memorize and quick to finish.  I found a couple DK weight yarns in my stash.  The first pair I knit for my eldest's girlfriend and it was knit in an undyed natural wool from Fibra Natura Shepherd's Own yarn.  I knit these up in one day on and off while watching a couple movies.  The second pair is knit from Cascade 220 Heathers wool in color way 2427; a dark red.  I highly recommend solids to really show off the texture and pattern.



For natural dyes I ended up making about 6 potholders from the wool loops that I had naturally dyed both at the workshop and at home.  I am really enjoying making these as I continue to learn more about natural dyes.  The dye pots are put away till the spring since I do most of my work outside, but I am excited to pick it back up in a few months!



I put the shop on vacation after I sent out the last package a couple weeks ago but did do a special wood gift for my niece.  She has really been making some fun drawings and I turned a couple of her critter drawings into toys for her.

Just a quick note of happiness to all of you this holiday.  I hope that your winter celebrations bring you tons of creative joy.  I am a Christmas Carol lover and have enjoyed watching my favorite version that I grew up with (George C. Scott) and also watching the newer The Man Who Invented Christmas that I caught in the theaters last year and watched twice already this year!




I also incorporated some I had not seen thanks to this link and watched the 1935, 1938 versions as well as the 1971 animated version.  They have all be wonderful backdrops to my making this season. So hopefully you do not doubt your senses this holiday season and blame it on a blot of mustard and you make merry the whole day long!  Happy holidays to ewe!

Wrapping up some highlights of some other making I did this week includes some wee little treats for my office co-workers.  I work for a non-profit foundation that supports youth development.  The roots of this youth development organization is in agriculture.  My own families roots on my maternal side is heavily in agriculture so I decided I wanted to pull from my stash of Bonne Maman jars create a little something fun.

Obviously PB&J is a staple for the fellas in my house.  I prefer this jelly over the others.  So in full honesty is was the beautiful jars with red and white gingham lids that first grabbed me, but they are actually really simple ingredients with no high fructose corn syrup or artificial coloring or preservatives added that keeps me as a customer.  So I just soak of the label and wash up and stick up in a cabinet when they are empty.  The labels come right off with a soapy water soak which this crafter greatly appreciates!


I decided to put in a little tractor with either a bottle brush tree or wreath inside the jar on some holiday M&M's and then they could add some white glitter to mimic snow in it for a decoration after if they wanted.


I found the sweet little metal tractors at my local Tractor Supply Co. and the wreaths were from Michaels.  Snagged some holiday M&M's from the grocery and in about 20 minutes I had my gifts put together ready to just add a label and bakers twine.





Bonne Maman translates grandmother or granny on their website.  I love that notion and hope that my office mates enjoy a little granny love this holiday.  Save your jars and bring a little granny love to your world also!

 It is the beginning of the 4-H year and that means a new year of teaching local 4-H'ers in my son's club to knit.  We decided to jump right in with an in the round group project and thought a stuffed animal of pillow pet would be a crowd pleaser.





I improvised a paid for pattern (mini kitty pouf) with a free pattern (Beans the Cat) and with some input from the co-leader for the project we tried to create the best of both worlds.  I actually like the idea of using a bulky yarn for them on this project.  Though sometimes really thick or thin yarns can be a challenge for a new knitter I thought the speed in which they could work through this project would be a fun incentive for them to complete.

We did not do any increases and gave suggestions of doing stripes for the more advanced knitters.  I also like the simplicity of whip stitching the top of the cat and using the yarn from the bottom of the cat up through the middle to pull down and give the impression of ears.

So far they seem super excited and I can't wait to see how far they have gotten at our next meeting in January.

This little sample guy I made for my niece's birthday paired up with a sweet book.  For cost effectiveness I made him in the suggested yarn of Lion Brand Wool Ease.  Pretty sweet!

It has been a busy making season for this toymaker y'all!  I wanted to take a moment and give a huge shout out of gratitude and thank you for all your support of independent makers!  My heart swells with appreciation of my creations and hope that they bring a bit of handmade joy under the trees this year!

I am putting the shop on vacation mode so that I can be present and work on family presents for the rest of the month.  Looking forward to sharing some bits of handmade love over the next couple of weeks!

When we first got our vintage Scamp camper about 6 or so years ago I wanted to keep some of her original 80's features like the plaid covers on the cushions and the green fridge face.



I did change the curtains to a bright red floral with a matching pillow, switched out the cabinet knobs to a retro style mismatched set matching the curtains, and added a braid rug.  Here are some before pictures.





I have been feeling a shift and pull back to my old bohemian style and decided to give Colene a little makeover!  This weekend I switched out the curtains for a natural pallet with some rust orange browns and blue India influence pattern that I found on Ebay.  They were a discontinued Target Threshold brand.  I was going to shorten then but I actually like the length that they provide in the sleeping area.  Here are some after pictures.








I switched out the rug for a more boho style that would be easy to wipe down and then I also changed out the vintage sheet duvet cover with a India style tapestry duvet cover.  I found a few pillows and pillow covers at the thrift store and was all done with her makeover in about an hour.

I am debating on making a new set of cabinet pulls by decoupaging some boho style paper onto some wood pulls.  I am pretty thrilled with her new little makeover and hoping we can sneak in a little adventure before the weather gets super cold!






She made a pretty sweet little knitting nest yesterday!  The leaves in the neighborhood are amazing right now, the sun was shining, and I had a little cup of tea and was able to knit a few rows on my Midtown Cardigan!

Tis the season, but I do love a good ghost movie and story.  I was raised in an old farm house that my parents had remodeled.  I absolutely loved growing up in it and pretty certain it affected my inclination towards gothic genre in both reading books and movie watching.  My parents no longer live in that house but I have never forgotten it!






I shared my latest video chat on my Facebook page and have a few Halloween treats to share.  In the video I give you a code to use on the ghost surprise yarn balls currently in the shop.  The code will get you 25% off and it includes a naturally dyed yarn (avocado, osage orange, or walnut) with a little wood ghost tucked inside.  Comes with some bamboo knitting needles and a vintage sheet gift bag.  Be sure to check out the chat for the code.


Also I have a give-away for you!  I have a little trio of wood ghosts and one of my naturally dyed cotton gift bags to give away.  You can enter by:

• leave a comment here and let me know your favorite ghost movie
• leave a comment the video chat on my Facebook page with your favorite ghost movie
• follow me on Instagram and leave a comment on that post