Last Christmas I didn't spend much time on my parents' gifts. In fact, I bought them some kind of kite-like lawn ornament (they love their garden). This year I figured I had enough time on my hands to make them some things, but I put a little too much on my plate for handmade goods. They got their gifts late, but at least they liked them.. or so they say :P

My parents live in sunny California, but they still get chills. The green shawl was made from the Splendid Triangle Shawl from Lion Brand. It was super easy and I sped through it. Bulky weight yarn and using large needles is freaking awesome! The red, purple, brown scarf is called Diva Scarf, also from Lion Brand. It was also pretty easy, but it took forever to make. I used larger needles so that it could be shawl-like and not too warm for my mom to wear.



My dad got three hats. Both the beanie and the fedora are from the Happy Hooker book. The fedora hat was actually a cowboy hat pattern but I added the blue stripe and didn't make the brim as large or with the wire, like the pattern suggested. My mom told me my dad sleeps with a hat on 'cause his head gets cold (he's like 70 years old), so I thought I would make him his very own sleeping cap. Funny, huh?


If you know my brother, you must know that he's got some weird infatuation with unicorns. I'm not talking the kitschy unicorn stuff that's been out the past five years. He's been into unicorns for at least 10 years. Maybe more. Anyway, my sister had given me the idea to make hoodies with extra pockets on the inside so you can take all your stuff with you that way. I decided to try this idea out a bit on my brother. I bought a regular hoodie, three yards of flannel for warmth, and this amazing horses fabric online. I painted the gold horns on all of the horses on 3 yards of this fabric. I used the hoodie as a pattern for the fabric, stitched the pieces together, and made the pockets before sewing the lining into the hoodie. ALAKAZAM! I only wish I used a hoodie that was one size larger. Apparently it's a snug fit since I used flannel for warmth.

Christmas time is here again. I added two more girls to my queue of family gifts. My fiance has two young cousins living in California that we visited this summer. I just hope when the kids get older that I don’t end up being the weird relative with the lame gifts.

The green ladybug dress was made for almost 2yr old Izzie. I try to keep away from the pink unless I know it’s their favorite color.




This tutu was made for 4yr old Eva. Her favorite color is definitely pink, but I added dark green and gold as well. Sometimes I worry that other family members will buy tu-tus for the girls, so I try to pick out unusual color schemes.


My soon to be niece loves going to dance class. When I was in dance, I used to be a little sad that my mom never bought me tutus or leg warmers like some of the other girls. I was also embarrassed that I had to use a regular backpack instead of one of those pink ballet bags (yeah, I was a little bratty). This year, I made sure my niece got the luxuries I never got for ballet. I made most of everything red because everybody else always has pink!! I threw in some quick crocheted pink and purple leg warmers though, just to match the pink leotard she already has. Wifi the cat doesn’t look very approving...

Made for the three baby bears that were all born within three months of each other.

A month or two ago my boyfriend's boss's dog got his leg broken. The bigger dog, Dewey, landed on the little dog, Dunkin. Dunkin was only 6 months old at the time. They could have put his leg in a cast and given him physical therapy, but the vet was unsure if Dunkin would even be able to walk normally after that. So they amputated his leg. Then they shaved the rest of his fur off so that he wouldn't have just one bald spot. I made Dunkin a special sweater just for him. I found the pattern for free at My Savanna Cottage (Basket of Daisies dog sweater) and altered it to have one leg hole and added the green trim. There are a few free dog patterns on the site. You can also purchase cute dog patterns from their etsy site. This was my first dog sweater and I think My Savanna Cottage does an excellent job.

Now that the holidays are over I can post the gifts I made for people.


These were made for my boyfriend's family. I used Lion Brand Homespun yarn. I like the feel and all the color choices that Homespun gives. Also, it's made of acrylic so it's easy to wash and dry.

The red and blue scarf are done in garter stitch with crocheted edges. The other patterns can be found online. Lion Brand also has a few decent patterns for their Homespun yarn.






Last year I made stockings for myself, boyfriend, and two cats. I enjoyed the way they turned out so I made some for my family as well. Fermat and Sui Sui are cats. May-Lee is my sister; she lives with her boyfriend Aaron, but they were visiting my parents this year. I made the stockings out of felt, rick rack, and fabric glue.


I knit my brother an awesome tube scarf. It took much longer than I expected it would, but it looks great and feels very soft. I used Knit Picks Crayon yarn. It's 100% pima cotton. He can wash it and dry it if he needs to.








Hilarity. I used the puff paint on a sweatshirt for my brother. Only two people in the world can give my brother a "#1 Brother" shirt, so I thought it was about time he got one. (FYI- my brother is 32, I am 27.) He said he liked it and I believe him. My brother is all about the crafty things and original clothing that will make him stand out.


My sister got this awesome hoodie with her boyfriend's band name on the back. drumcorps. I almost didn't want to give this away because I thought it was so cool. I may have to make one for myself now. :D

I also knit two hats for my sister's boyfriend, but I forgot to take pictures of those! Grr! They are not your regular knit hats. The boyfriend has dreadlocks down to his butt and can't fit them into a regular hat. My solution: I knit one mushroom shaped hat for when he likes to twist his hair onto the top of his head and I knit one hat that is as long as shoulder length hair so he can fold his hair into it. Voila!