#18in2018: A Twist

I may hate myself for this...or at the very least, kick myself. 

#18in2018 is a thing. Officially. And I'm adding a twist. Not only will there be 18 fibre projects completed in 2018. That's do-able, that's only one more than this year, and frankly I did far more than 17 this year. So I figured I needed a challenge. Here's where the kick comes in, literally and figuratively. I will find, with no problem, 18 UFOs (unfinished objects/projects) to dig out, figure out, and finish. Yup, I'm making 2018 the year of extreme punishment. 

What led to this insanity? I finished my Christmas projects early. I blame that. So I decided to clean my studio (fancy word for the extra bedroom where I make stuff). In doing so, I discovered quite a number of projects that I had forgotten about, ahem. 

So this pile of old tshirts on the floor? A crocheted rug waiting to happen. I best get to that one soon, since it's literally a pile on the floor! 

A basket full of yarn with patterns that haven't been knitted. What you can't see is the applique quilt in the bottom (what was I thinking?). That will be a doozy. 

Two rugs to be whipped, including a Christmas rug which was finished, um, 4 or 5 years ago (?) and hasn't ever been out for Christmas because it's not whipped. One queen size quilt to hand quilt. Pillows to be made. Oh ya, it's going to be a busy year. 

And that's just what I left out in plain sight. 

So, who thinks I can do it? Anyone up to the challenge? If not, you can follow along with my angst right here. Before and after pics will hopefully be shared throughout this joyous journey. 

Is it a leap year? Dang, it's not. 

Making Merry

Well after months of making for shows and Christmas gifts.... I'm done. Now I have time available for all those other things that seem to come up when you're already at your busiest. Have you noticed that? In the last two weeks, every member of our family has had to go to the dentist, two needed haircuts, we ran out of cat food, library books needed to be dropped off and picked up multiple times, two of us had other medical appointments to make and attend. No worries, we have it handled. 

Speaking of making merry, I've started some new traditions in the last number of years. I find that giving is the most rewarding aspect of the season, so I try to come up with new ideas each year. My daughter will be taking gifts for not only teachers this year, and the school secretary, but also the oft-forgotten janitor. We've delivered several bags of food to our local food bank, contributed to the local toy drive, and delivered four boxes of stuff to the thrift store. I also reached out to some old friends that I haven't seen or spoken to in some time. Sent a small something to someone battling illness, and to someone in a new home.  We've enjoyed a Christmas concert and some festive TV watching. Baking many treats has been great fun, and now we get to share the fruits of our labour. And now that we've had some snow melt (grrrrrr), I can head outdoors and do some clean-up in the schoolyard or park.

Whatever you're doing to make the season festive for yourself and your loved ones, I hope that the season lifts your hearts with cherished memories of those that have past, and an opportunity to build new memories with those in your life now. 

Spread the love, and enter 2018 with a full heart! 

For that hard-to-buy-for kid!

I usually try to make a fair number of gifts each year, if I can think of something appropriate for each recipient. In the past, I used to knit for kids, and to this day every newborn gets an I Spy quilt for their first Christmas. It's a tradition, that I hope people enjoy. Sometimes though you just don't know what to get someone.... but this year I had what I like to think of as a brilliant idea, for two toddlers in our family. 

This isn't my usual "making" of a gift, because it was more assembly than construction, but nevertheless it was oodles of fun and easy. I hope that these gifts will be well received. I thought I'd share this here in case you're looking for ideas for kids - this one will work for any young child. 

Introducing the Build A Snowman Kit! 

I wanted to make as much as I could, so I found a fleece fabric with a penguin print and made scarves and hats. I looked for what I could use for noses, and bought styrofoam cones, which I turned orange using a crayon, and also got alternative noses, otherwise known as orange plastic gourds. 

For buttons, I found small clear plastic containers and hot glued the black buttons on them. This way the buttons won't be as likely to be lost, and you can push them into the front of the snowman to make them stay. I did a set of six for each kit.

 I also bought each child a fun hat (cowboy hat, fedora) to give them an option on what hat they wanted to use. Or who knows, maybe they'll have enough stuff to make two snowmen. Then with two snowflake covered containers, I assembled the kits!

Next, a fun label design, and the project was complete!