Kauni preview...

I just couldn't help it. Last night I lucked out with a surprise flex, so I sat in my chair and really tried to stay on task with some Christmas Knitting...and instead wound up a new ball of yarn and began a project! This is from my favorite yarn shop in Denmark. The shopkeeper had designed an awesome felted purse with this yarn and actually gave us a copy of her uncopyrighted pattern! I'm sure this will only get knitted on here and there, but I get such terrible Startitis. This yarn is very clingy and grippy, kind of like Shetland yarn. And don't let that that picture fool you, that is a HUGE ball of yarn--over 600 yards! I have enough yarn for 2 purses in 2 different colorways, but one will have to use scraps of the other so I need to see how this pattern turns out for finishing the second. I've only knit 9 rows so far, but I keep looking ahead at my yarn because the colors change soooooooo subtly.

Brenda's bridal purse

Oh how I love finished projects! This is Brenda's bridal purse-hot off my needles and newly sewn into it's frame. If I was smart I would have included something in the photo for scale. This purse was quite a bit smaller than the purses I knit for Melissa and Anna because the frame was slightly smaller and curved. I knit this on size US 00 needles with size 8 Perle cotton thread and size 10/0 seed beads purchased at my local Hobby Lobby. The beading design on this purse is alternating rows of diamond shaped and was pretty mindless--my kind of design! Brenda's Big Day will be here before we know it! Now I have to go and start work on the garter!

I have the very BEST friend in the entire known universe!

Last night was the worst night in living memory at work. Of course I'm BRIMMING with pride as far as how we work together as a team when the ca ca interfaces with the fan, but it is mentally and emotionally draining when bad things happen. I called my best friend and coworker when I got home and she was on her way home for a visit to her Folks, but she first stopped by and TOTALLY surprised and CHEERED ME UP with these absolutely GORGEOUS flowers! I am going to bring them along with me to our Griswold Family Field Trip just so we can all enjoy them! I sent the scraps of Brenda's dessert puff pastry dough and a platter of sugar cookies home with her to enjoy with her family. As crappy as work can be at times, I have to remind myself that it can always be WORSE and I constantly thank my lucky stars that I'm as privileged as I am to work with the greatest, most knowledgeable, helpful, and DEDICATED crew on God's green earth!

I hate frosting cookies!

I'm glad I got that off my chest. I baked a triple batch of these dastardly things last night and wound up with 8 or 9 dozen cookies. Once again I feel as though I've lost control. I NEVER think we will have enough! I plan on taking these to work a little at a time, and I will mail some and hand deliver some to friends as well as taking a big container-full to our Griswold Family Field Trip this weekend. I have no doubt that they will get eaten. Frosting the cookies is always, as my mother would say, "a truly hateful job."

For once I'm on the ball! Take note!!

Holy cow! For once I'm ahead of my holiday crunch as far as getting gifts/projects underway! I bought the book Alternacrafts last year while on a field trip with Melissa. Normally I would not BUY a craft book unless it was something REALLY special. This is a lovely book with lots of GREEN but also what I would consider to be ho-hum crafts, but I was so STRUCK by the chapter on resin encased photo necklaces/magnets that I bought it! I have been saving all kinds of jar and bottle lids for months and I'd already bought the liquid resin and hardener and finally worked up the courage to try a project. I am beyond thrilled with the results! I have been saving the metal lids of my Starbucks Frappaccino drinks and I have a circle template and cut up the wallet photos of my dear friend Deedee and her new brood and made Christmas ornaments out of them! I haven't even decided on the string for them yet, but I couldn't wait to post pics of them! I'm even going to take these over to her house to totally spoil Christmas just so I can show them to her! What a wonderful way to archive photos and trinkets and what not! They are little 3D collages and I think the kids will be able to help with them as far as archiving pics of their late mother as long as we all wear gloves and work in a well ventilated area! They are such user friendly little projects! I was laughing to myself as I was pouring the resin that I was "encasing them in Carbonite," as they'd say in The Empire Strikes Back! :) My brilliant sister has devised a Christmas ornament exchange in November, and forget the exchange, I think I'd like to make an ornament of my beloved Late Grandpa Maynerd for each household (and by that I mean each cousin AND their respective set of parents) but that all hinges on the perfect photo of Grandpa. I painted over each lid with an "antique bronze" paint and used and awl and hammer to set in the eye hook before I poured the resin and it doesn't affect plastic or what not, so Mom had a good suggestion to even use the rectangular lids of mayonaisse jars for this project. Oh the possibilities! :D I would like to make a set for my dear friend Lin and her newly adopted Ukrainian boys too! What a great project!

I also threw together some Christmas potpourri. I bought these little Christmas tree shaped tin jello molds at a garage sale years ago and they've been sitting in my cupboard ever since. I tried making soap in them last year and had to BEAT them on the floor to get the soap out so that was way too much work! I had the great idea to instead fill them with spicy holiday potpourri for Urban Family Christmas this year! I went to The Good Food Store up in Rochester and bought bulk bayberries, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, and anise stars. I cracked but did not split the nutmeg to release the scent and mixed them all together before filling these tins. Then I wrapped them in baggies and tied them with jute twine and twisted these darling holly ties from a garage sale around them. They smell LOVELY and technically could be used for mulling spices because they are all food-grade spices! I will have enough for everyone in Urban Family and for my dear friends from my hospital floor! :) What a great way to de-stash the project room!