Swaps: Mittens

As I mentioned earlier, I've been working hard to finish all my swaps before the Dec 8th deadline .... and I did it! All the swap packages went out yesterday and here's the mitten package that went to my KTC swap partner:

With this swap, I didn't HAVE TO knit the final product .... just get a pattern, pick some yarn and other treats, and send it off. But since I'm a bit OCD about knitting and designing, I first had to design, than knit, the prototype for the design that I created just for my partner! So I ended up knitting, but it was so much fun ... I'm going to make another pair (these will go to my green-loving daughter) for me!


I hope my partner enjoys her custom-designed pattern, yarns I chose for her and the treats I added -- I had much fun with this SWAP!

Swaps: Victorian Stocking

Well, I've been busy working on all those swaps for which I signed up! I was able to get to the Post Office yesterday (in spite of BamBam being sick as a dog!) and sent off all the swap packages.

Here's the one that went to Canada for the stocking swap organized by Nissa over at Simple Gifts:

Of course, a stocking wouldn't be any fun without filling -- so Celestial Seasonings tea and Chocolate filled it to the brim! I hope my partner likes it as much as I enjoyed designing and making it!

Swaps: Cool way to "meet" folks

all over the world! I love these. You just never know what you'll receive and it's so fun to try to create something for someone you only know through on-line relations. Very fun, huh?

Here are the swaps I've signed up for so far this Christmas 2007 season (this is also to help ME keep track of what I've committed to):

• Unschooling Catholics Postcard Swap -- some 27 other unschoolers throughout the world; those will go out today (if my kids ever get up!)
• Jesse Tree Swap -- make 28 of the same symbol, send to the contact person, and receive a full Jesse-Tree's worth of ornaments from 27 other folks! Organized by Lorri at 4real -- ornaments should be sent by Nov 21st.
• Journal Making -- hand-craft a journal for a swap partner; my partner lives in Texas and this is going to be fun to create something for a professional designer. Organized by One Hour Craft blogger, Mia -- journals should be sent by Nov 21st.
• Holiday Traditions -- this one should be really interesting. The idea is to organize a "holiday traditions kit" -- favorite recipe, memory, activity, handmade decoration, etc -- and send it to your partner. Sign-up deadline was Sunday, Nov 11th with a shipping of package by December 10th. Meg at Montessori-by-Hand came up with this fascinating swap.
• Christmas Stocking -- hand-craft a stocking in any medium (of course, I'm doing a knitted one!), fill with goodies based on preferences of your swap partner, and send off. Organized by Nissa (who is starting up a craft/homearts/living magazine, Simple Gifts) -- sign-up by November 18th, send stocking by December 8th.
• KTC Mittens Swap -- this is a knitting/crocheting swap where you create a "kit" for knitting/crocheting hand-warmers of any kind -- mittens, gloves, fingerless mits, whatever! You include a pattern, yarn to make, other treats etc -- this one is well-organized as there is a value set -- $25-35 -- and a sign-up by November 21st and send the kit by Dec 8th.

If I join any others, I'll post here. I love that swap partners can come from anywhere in the world! Isn't that cool?

So why don't you join in the fun .... here's a blog that tracks swaps in just about any category you could think of.

Swaps: Christmas Stocking

Check this out .... and then go ahead and sign-up by Sunday, November 18th!

This should be a boot -- bad pun, I know but come up with a better one then!

Living Books and Living Knitting

Sometimes I like to combine something we're doing in our home school and something I want to knit.
Here's a great example of what I'm talking about. We're getting ready to send someone a "baby shower in a box" -- she doesn't live close enough to have the shower in person. Anyway, we thought a Jan Brett theme would be fun. Since the baby was born in the winter, we chose The Hat. Here's the Christmas stocking and hat I designed from Brett's illustrations (Kotch helped me chart the hat): Pretty cool, huh?

Going Offline for the Season

Today is the first Sunday of Advent 2006. This means that in four short weeks, Christmas will be here -- the Incarnation, the Word made Flesh. As a special present to my family, I am going to go off-line for the season and spend the time working with and for my family -- finishing knitted gifts, teaching the kids about the true spirit of Christmas and just generally playing with my family.

I will be back posting in 2007.

I wish you all a very Holy and Blessed Advent and Christmas; you are all in my thoughts and prayers as we prepare our home for the coming of Jesus!

Cool Idea or What?????

I've mentioned the KTC before -- knitting to go along with a classic book. That's a pretty cool idea.

The book for December is the classic, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I just love the idea of knitting and reading good books! And, just in time, we're doing an ornament swap, too! Hmmmm, an ornament with a Dickensian theme .... the mind is starting to work on this one.