December 16, 2011

Starting to look a lot like moose cookies

Today finds me midway through the 48 hour push that I agreed I'd do before I freaked the frak out about the Christmas knitting, and so far it seems like a good decision.  Last night I finished a mitten, made a whole Icing Swirl hat, and got the Christmas sweater body and arms joined together, and I'm just beginning the yoke, which means that if I don't have any sort of knitting emergency, tomorrow might dawn bright and full of festive hope.

I went to the grocery store, I bought the makings for the gingerbread, and now there's just mixing, rolling and baking - and midway through that, my favourite job of all...

deciding which shapes out of my cookie cutter collection I'll use for Christmas this year.  Some are perennial, I've no choice but to use angels, trees, gingerbread "persons", snowflakes and stars, but since I'm baking by myself this year, I feel that I have total freedom beyond that.   Gingerbread moose?

Reindeer? Sheep?

Porcupines? (I happen to know a little girl who would think that gingerbread porcupines were spectacularly fabulous - and I'm not speaking here of my inner child, although she's pretty keen too.) Hank's coming to decorate tomorrow.  Would he like apples? Chickens? Foxes? (Perhaps chickens and foxes!) Squirrels? Moons? Santas? Rabbits? Boots? Butterflies?

The mind reels at the possibilities. What shapes do you make at your house?

Gifts for Knitters, Day 16

To balance out yesterday's gift, which I freely admit was a pricey one, today's idea is one that you should be able to pull together for a few dollars and a trip to a nearby store.  If you live with a knitter, you'll know what I'm about to tell you is true, and if you don't live with a knitter, then you'll just have to take my word for it - but knitters have a lot of paper.  Magazines, leaflets, patterns they printed out - and a great gift would be a way to organize some of that stuff.  Magazine holders are a great thing for knitters.  You can get fancy ones that match the decor, or if you're not the sort of family that has decor you can just get them out of your way.  If you're feeling particularly broke or crafty, you can even make some.  To hold your knitters leaflets and assorted single patterns, go to the store and get a regular 3 ring binder, and a whole bunch of page protectors.  Put a little note on it so that they know what it's for, and if you really want to score points?  Add a coupon promising that you'll do the organizing. 

Posted by Stephanie at December 16, 2011 1:33 PM