Spring fever is upon us.

In the kids, it manifests in earlier and earlier awakenings. (6 fracking thirty in the morning is just cruel, CRUEL, CRUUUUEL.) In the husband, it manifests in increasing grumpiness and distracted preoccupation with something in the distance. In myself, it manifests as the urge to Organize. And it's not planned cleaning, oh no.

For example. I was finishing up another kit for Konbit Sante.





And when I was done with that, I happened to glance under my sewing area.



Yuck.

One fast trip to the store, one movie for the kids, and a few hours resulted in all of this OCD glory.



Yes, that's all of my scraps colour co-ordinated. And those are just the quilter's cottons. The fleece, and diaper making fabrics (velour, birdseye, etc.) are in separate bags.

Oh yes, Spring is just around the corner. And what's REALLY making me happy today is that my package for the Mod Ducks Odd Ducks swap arrived!!!

First of all, I'm pretty sure that my spoiler is psychic. Otherwise, how would she have known that I've been looking for a good bag pattern?



I LOVE IT! Made from linen, so it's durable. And it's so well made!!! But what delights lie inside?



Seriously, I was spoiled. SO spoiled. SOSOSOSOSOSOSO spoiled. A pretty green needle case, a lovely notebook to journal in, the COOLEST thistle buttons, Mount DOOM roving, Ghiradelli caramel chocolates (MINE), handmade soap, cuticle cream, the Nordic Knits book I've been hankering over(squeee!), beautiful handspun (so very soft), and



Poems Sock yarn. Finally...something that's been on my wish list for Eons.

A yarn bowl.



And sunshine and blue skies to take my photos in. Sigh. Life is good. If anyone needs me, I think I'm going to be making a quilt. With scraps.

Feelin' like a groundhog...

I've figured something out. I can tell you when spring is just around the corner...'cause I start sewing little dresses like a crazy woman. For your delectation:



This started out as a long skirt of mine. But then it tore something awful right across the whole skirt. So, I chopped off the bottom and made two straps out of the remnants. Gotta love upcycling.



Yes, it's eye searingly bright. And I LURVE it. This was lurking in the UFO pile for a very long time, and I finally got around to finishing it in the sewing frenzy that was yesterday. (Look, I've been dealing with a sick toddler, an on-holiday boy and a "ohmygodI'msickanddyyyyyyying" husband for the past two weeks. It was either hide in the sewing room for awhile or turn up on the evening news.)

The original pattern calls for an apron on the front, but I didn't feel like digging through my fabric stash to find something that went with the existing fabrics. Plastered on some ribbon and called it a day.



I call this one the Ice Cream on the Beach dress. I had this offcut (from one of Fabricworm's bundles, I think) in the stash, and it was just crying out to be a summer dress. Shirring and shirring and shirring the bodice took ... awhile. The hem comes from the Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt pattern. Love it. I'm considering doing a tutorial on how to make it, as I'm definitely going to be making more of these. Let me know if there's any interest and I'll post it.

And finally, a skirt.



Modded from the Made Market Skirt tutorial. The button was a find in the button basket (who knows where it came from).

Of course, I had to finish a pair of thick, wooly socks too. 'Cause it's not Spring quite yet.



Damnit.

Snow paralysis.

Honestly, I've been here.

Drinking buckets of tea.

Reading books. (Go read the Hunger Games trilogy. You'll thank me later. And then go and read A Brush of Darkness. Again, you will thank me later.)

Writing. Editing, to be more accurate.

Watching endless repeats of Wall-E at the small girl's request. Ungh.

Baking.



Sullivan Street Bakery's recipe. AMAZING result. Lovely crackly crust, and a good chewy crumb. I used a cast-iron Ikea pot, similar to a Le Creuset for this loaf. Worked really well, and I'm hoping to try the recipe again, but with rye flour. Anyone know where I can get some?

Knitting, of course. I'm feeling a little bit Groundhog Day-ish. I've been knitting and knitting...but have nothing finished to show you. But I can show you the swap package that I sent for the Mod Swap now.



You see the bag in the back? That's the Keyka Lou Bucket Bag pattern. Made from canvas and quilter's cotton, it's a very fun pattern to make up. Other stuff includes: silk brocade project bag, the Damson shawl from the last post, Uberwench fibre and handspun, Malabrigo chunky, a needle case, the Luxury One Skein Wonders book, and candies. As always, there's a few things missing from the pic. *sigh* Tea, some Kidsilk Haze, and a super secret bonus project. Will post pics of that later.

In the meantime, I'mma go and shovel more snow. Again.

Procrastination Station.

I've been slacking. I can't remember the last time that my house was really cleaned. My novel is ... stuck on a nasty plot point. And instead of working on it, I've been crafting.

Craft Hope's new project is making safe birthing kits for Haiti - Konbit Sante distributes these to trained birth attendants in an effort to stem Haiti's awful maternal and infant mortality rates.

The kits aren't complex - basic hygiene (soap, antibacterial gel, alcohol wipes, clean string, latex gloves and plastic sheeting) is addressed, and the handmade components are a tote bag, toy and a receiving blanket.



The receiving blanket is just a 45 inch square of cotton flannel, serged with a rolled edge. The toy was based on this tutorial (love her site), and the tote was pretty much improvised. It's made from a canvas dropcloth and lined with quilter's cotton. It's a nice, sturdy little bag. I think that I may make a few more of these, but larger, for grocery bags.

I'm also finishing up all of my items for the Moderator's Swap over at the Odd Ducks. The large component of this package is a Damson shawl.



The colour's truer in this pic.



I'll post a pic of the full package after my partner's received it. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

Spun up two skeins of Uberwench fibre as well.



FUN crazy batt = yarn that looks like unicorn farts. Love it.

Finished up a pair of socks for myself. Nothing like self-striping yarn in a 3x1 rib to make one feel tremendously clever.



And finally, there are going out to a very special friend.



October Leaves Fingerless Gloves knit in Sweet Georgia sock yarn.

Phew.

And now? I think I'll knit myself some more socks.

I need a house elf.

So, last week, Mr. Munchkin comes over and excitedly waves an envelope in my face.

"Mom! It's a birthday invitation! Sunday!"

"Oh, sounds like fun."

"Yup! It's a Harry Potter party ... and I'm in Hufflepuff house (last part said rather dejectedly)."

"Aww, don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fun anyway."

"AND! It's a costume party!"

"Wait, whaaaa?"

And that is how I ended up sewing and glue gunning my little heart out for two days solid. But in the end, I think it was worth it.



I used this tutorial for the wand, and modded this one for the robe.

Note: if you want the "hood" on the back, you can use the excess fabric that you use away from the sleeves. Works like a charm. (Ha!) When cutting the front, cut a very shallow half-circle around the neck area, and you can attach the hood there. The tie is just fabric with lines drawn on with a sharpie.

Needless to say, this was wicked fun to present to him on the morning of the party. Knitting content to come eventually. I'm working on a swap package atm, so I'll have to wait until the package is sent to reveal all of the loveliness within.

Whomp.

That would be the sound of my head hitting the table. I'm exhausted, and sadly not even that hung over. But it was a busy month. Blissfully free from company, our little family really enjoyed the holiday season this year. There was much pyjama wearing, and many many days filled with just lazing around the house. But I guess that you're here to see the Christmas handmades, right?

This year, I sent around an email to my nearest and dearest family asking them if they would prefer to receive either a book or a handmade item. The responses to this email heartened me muchly - there were only two people who asked for a book instead of a handmade item. (And thanks for calling me cheap, Dad. Yeah. Thanks a lot.) Everyone else was very enthused about the prospect of a handmade item. The requests came in, and the result were:



Fingerless mittens and a plastic bag holder (like this one) for my SIL. She also received a slouchy Tuva hat in silky Malabrigo.



My MIL received a camera, kitted out with a handmade case.



My FIL received a black touque, sadly missed in the spree of photo taking.

My Dad received the Thorpe posted a few posts back. Accompanied by the autobiography of Robert Herjavec, one of the VCs on Dragon's Den. (Love that show.)

My Mum was the lucky recipient of the Odessa, also from the same previous post. And a handmade bag, also forgotten picture-wise. But I used this Keyka Lou pattern - it turned out to be totally adorable.

I gave my one brother a pair of socks, as requested.



I'm thinking that I may have to knit him another pair, as these are a little wild for him to wear. (He's a banker, whaddya gonna do.)

My other brother asked for handmade handkerchiefs, as he was bored with stuffing his breast pocket with plain white ones.



I hope they're not too colourful for Wall Street.

Both of my brothers also received signed books by David Sedaris. I was lucky enough to go to his signing here in Dartmouth, driven by the express purpose of getting him to sign books for both of my brothers. Enduring the sheer amount of hipsterism contained in that store ALONE makes me a candidate for best sister of the year, if I do say so myself. Yeesh.

My lovely SIL asked for a chunky cowl.



Knit in Malabrigo Rasta (which is the most delicious super bulky yarn EVER), I am pleased to report that she was delighted with it. And highest praise for a knitter, she put it on right after opening the present and didn't take it off until she got home.

Lastly, Mr. Munchkin's teacher has done an outstanding job so far. And so she made it onto the knit-worthy list with a pair of mittens.



More Malabrigo, of course. Accompanied by a box of chocolates.

As for my kids - they asked for and received much plastic frippery. DH was given a few framed pictures of our trip to Iceland, amongst other things. And as for myself, I was given the gift of peace, happiness and joy on earth. Oh, and a wicked cool slow cooker. Couldn't ask for anything more. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season too.

Handwork...

So, what I found while doing NaNo is that I need to make things. NEED. Otherwise I go a bit barmy. (More than the usual amount of barminess, that is.) So here's the latest:



A baby hat, part of a shower gift. Julie's Cabled Baby Hats is the pattern, I think.



Another Odessa, made in silk that I dyed black.



A Thorpe, but sans earflaps as requested.



The Winter Sanity Swap package that I sent to my partner. The cupcake tree ornament was particularly fun to make.

Tragically, the package that I sent out originally for the Zombie Swap was lost by Canada Post. So I have been making up a replacement package. I made a Thermis cowl with Sculpey brain buttons and a set of fingerless gloves, one meant to look like bloody decomposing flesh.







Nice, hey? I still have to send out the package, as I'm waiting on something I ordered to arrive. Epic fail, Canada Post... EPIC.

I have other FOs, but they'll be posted after the holidays. <3