a toast

Here's to 2009 in craft! {click the photo to enlarge}

Thank you for all your visits here. Your comments put a smile on my face and lift my heart; I really appreciate that reverberation, and I hope that same good vibration echoes over into your place wherever your nest may be. I have made re-connections and new connections, have been reassured of kindness and generosity, and have marvelled at creative beauty in so many forms because of this Woolnest and my travels around the wonderous web. The experience has nourished me in the most delicious way!

So, I raise my needles (tee-hee!) to You, to 2009, and to 2010, bring it, I'm ready! (that is, once I finish those few straggling projects from 2009....) ;-)

xoxo

best - Annri

So this is Christmas...

...And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young.
A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear...

-John Lennon

Happy Christmas, Everyone! Thank you for visiting my woolnest, it means so much to me.

Peace & Love - Annri

glad tidings + trimmings

I must be improving my perspective on what it means to be me, because today this mass of "raw materials" might seem like a headache to some, but it really makes me happy. I took this photo this morning before Hana and I started our wrapping fest. It will stand as testament to my commitment to spreading some handmade cheer for the holidays. There are some gingerbread felt ornaments, a top secret red gift (if you're Si, do not click link), a soon-to-be-felted and embroidered bowl, an embroidered snowflake pendant, a beaded necklace, some pom-pons, gift boxes of recycled catalog covers, and a few other last-minute goodies. It's like an I Spy puzzle! My own workshop at my spot at our table; I love it!

So that's the storm, here's the calm:

I love to sit on the sofa and gaze at our Christmas tree (cue the Charlie Brown Christmas music). There are a lot of sweet memories stitched, glued, and folded in our ornaments; the ones we made, the ones made for us, the ones we chose to add that represent a special time or sentiment.

Some of the handmade ornaments hold the memory of a fun crafting frenzy that swept over me and some friends any number of years ago (anyone remember felt gingerbread babies? or beaded snowflakes?). I haven't yet tired of making ornaments; each year I find inspiration for a different few that I must add to our collection and share. Thanks to many blog-friends, I've already got a list of projects to make for next year!

So, again, it seems that I'm recognizing the balance and the teetering involved; keeping my eyes open so I can see all the shades of light and dark, because it's all there. I believe.

it's a frog! it's an elephant! it's a brussel sprout!

The guesses to what this was were "a frog?" "elephant feet?" "a brussel sprout?" Thanks to everyone who played along. :)

I am pleased to present Luke in the Dinosaur Suit!

Luke is an amigurumi doll who likes to growl and stomp the kitchen counter in search of food. My nephew, for whom Luke was made, will know without a doubt whether Luke would really eat pineapple, but today he was definitely interested!

Luke is the second amigurumi that I have crocheted from a pattern by Mia Zamora Johnson, her Etsy shop is called Owlishly and much cuteness exists there. The first one was Mere the Mermaid, and she is very well-loved by Hana. The pattern for MerMay, as Hana calls her, includes great hair instructions and embroidery instructions for her shell-top and starfish hair band. Both patterns are very clear and what I describe as patient, meaning that each step is written out without cutting corners and there are plenty of photos to help. Both dolls came together quickly; the desire to see the finished doll really carried me along.

Even the teenager of the house has requested his own dinosaur boy! I think I'll try to ad-lib a tiny guitar for that dino...

Hooray for the weekend!

new hat!

I had a vision for a seed stitch beanie and I had a skein of Malabrigo worsted in Brillante. I put them together and now have a great hat! I wanted the seed stitch to go right to the edge, no ribbing, so used a smaller needle size for the first inch or so. It is simple in form, fits just right, and so cozy. When I first spotted this colorway, I knew it would be a hat for me (the color in the left photo is most accurate). More details and my cryptic pattern on my Ravelry.

And now that I got that hat out of my system, I can get back to the regularly scheduled gift knitting. Can you guess what this is?!

I hope you're all warm, wherever you are!

xo!

snow

I love snow. We had some glitter snow earlier today. Hana and her friend immediately went outside to play. With the sparkly snow dancing around them, they looked like a scene from a snow globe. So sweet!


Here's some other snow that has developed around the house:

This snow was precipitated (!) by Margaret Oomen at Resurrection Fern; her endless blog wonderland of inspiration is one of my favorite places to escape to. A couple of weeks ago, she generously laid out the making of these snowflake pendants. It took me a little self-encouragement to free-stitch the snowflake, but once I just went for it, I really enjoyed the making. I love wearing the pendant too. When I was getting ready to take photos earlier, I threw myself into a panic because I couldn't find that last one, that's the one I'm keeping. Guess where I found it? Around my neck! Silly me. My pendants are about 2" in diameter and strung from a handspun merino crochet chain, but just imagine the possibilities! I've had to write down the list of ideas because they keep coming, and I worry that I'll forget before I get to stitching. I'm thinking of a holly sprig with berries, icicles, fir branches, pinecones, etc. Thank you, Margaret, for the inspiration and instructions, again!

Any snow in your neck of the woods?!

putting the brakes on

I've been feeling like the calendar is running past me, leaving me in a cloud of dust. I've been trying to slow things down. I am not good at slowing down time. In order to give the illusion of time slowing down, I've been trying to incorporate into those things that will feel like keeping up, an activity which soothes me. See if you can identify the soothers in this list...

Those things which are getting done:

:: The Mini-Stocking Advent Garland is up and filled with goodies, and I will post pictures soon.

:: Some gift knitting and crafting has begun.

:: Meals have been cooked regularly.

:: The doll-house has received a modest amount of holiday decoration. I made a bitty tree from FaLaLaLa Felt, which I whole-heartedly recommend! Hana and I made some tiny polymer clay gifts to put in some origami boxes. Hana says her doll family might have Christmas every day until Christmas because "they don't understand about waiting, Mom." Of course.

However, some things are not getting done (note the lack of soothers):

:: Tidying; I can no longer really see the surface of the coffee table.

:: Some gift knitting and crafting has not begun (see, there goes that time again!).

:: The people-house has not received even a modest amount of holiday decoration. Unless, of course, you consider that the doll-house is actually part of the people-house....

It really is no wonder that I feel the world speeding by me; I'm sitting here by the highway fiddling happily with my hands busy with needles, wool, and food! Did you think I was complaining? ;-)

xo - Annri

All kidding aside, please excuse my absense here lately, i've been enjoying the view here from the side of the road...