Hurry Up Knitting

I've been knitting some last minute "tuck it into Mr. Jones' suitcase to England" gifts. They take no time at all, and are definitely patterns worth seeking out if you still need a homemade stocking stuffer:

Louisa Armwarmers (free pattern HERE). Knitted in two evenings! So cute.

Striped Socks (my own pattern, described here) in Lana Grossa yarn that self-stripes. Always impresses...

"Little Things" hat (free pattern HERE and my Ravelry link HERE). So fast, and great for a guy!
Have a wonderful holiday everyone!

Workin' It: Christmas Sweaters

We had a Christmas Sweater Competition at work on Friday. I think I enjoyed it even more than Halloween!





The countdown to Christmas is really on, and I'm still trying to fit in those last few handmade gifts. Next year, however, knitting my own Christmas sweater is certainly on the agenda!

From Your Godmother

The hurry up last minute Christmas knitting has begun. Well, it might be close to finished. Except for that one last minute thing I know I can get done..(you know how it is). There will be lots of little things to show you, if we could just get a full hour of natural sunlight a day, for photographs.

This sweater is for Poppy. One of the greatest things about 2010 was that I became Godmother to Poppy and her sister Summer. Mr. Jones' brother and his wife asked us, and we were so excited. So for Poppy, I made this 100% silk sweater (Ravelry details here) and it's the softest thing I've ever made. I want to make one for every little girl I know.

This sweater can now be wrapped and put under our tree (before it goes in the suitcase to England). We chopped (or sawed) this beauty down a couple weekends ago, the first time I had done that in decades. I could show you a million dorky photos of this, but I'll refrain. We decorated it with vintage Christmas balls from the thrift shop, and some extras that I picked up in New York.

Now Poppy's sweater is reminding me of my past Christmas tree. I really hope she enjoys it, and I hope to see her in it someday soon, looking very cheery and bright!

Playsuit Number One Million

I made another Oliver and S. playsuit. I just think they're so cute, and even if I don't give it for Christmas, there's always a two year-old in the pipeline to grow into it.

After recovering from our company Christmas party for half of last weekend, I'm hoping for a very productive couple of days. Have a great weekend, everyone!

...And What Not

Have you heard of a Muppet Whatnot? It's a generic muppet who gets assembled quickly for crowd scenes and such, when needed. Have you heard of the Muppet Whatnot Workshop at FAO Shwartz? It's the best thing I've seen in a toy store for years!

Mr. Jones and I were playing with their online Muppet builder for ages before we went to New York at Thanksgiving. When we saw their price had been reduced for the weekend, one of us was going away with one, for sure.

As tempted as I was to make a floppy haired girl Muppet in a suit (Annie Hall Whatnot!), I resisted (at least for now). Mr. Jones made a Whatnot of himself, however. He's going to give it to his young nieces for Christmas.

What could be a better way to remember their Uncle while he's working in America?

Baby Leggings!

The rush to handmade holiday gifts is on. I made these baby leggings for a friend, and I just love them.

I ripped them back and reknitted them 3 times (Ravelry details here) but the pattern is fabulous and I'll be making them again. It's just so hard to knit for babies on your list, when you haven't seen them!

I'll take my needles with me upon a visit, and plan to add more rows, if need be.

Tater Talk

This is my new favorite cookbook. It came from the Goodwill for $2.99. The recipes are really concise, and there are no pictures. Usually I need pictures, but these home recipes seem so foolproof that I'm enjoying the mystery of what the food will look (and taste) like out of my oven.

I made Tater Tot Casserole. We didn't really grow up eating casseroles, so the "dump a canned mushroom soup on the ingredients" thing was new to me. Now, it is a revelation. Prep time was 10 minutes and enjoyment level was High. Helllooo workday dinner.

Here is Lucene Vesper's recipe for you. I substituted vegetarian sausages since I don't eat the animals, and I'm thinking about other variations with sauteed mushrooms or green beans. Am I getting too fancy here?

The whole thing tasted like a good diner breakfast, or something you'd get for lunch at a college canteen. Now we're talkin'!