Holiday Idea: Handmade Gifts

I love everything about this time of year: the turkey, mashed potatoes, hot tea, Christmas music, and present hunting.  Although the trend in scaling back gift giving is mainly due to the back economy, I love the idea of only giving gifts that are really thoughtful and heartfelt.  It encourages people to really think about what their loved ones would like, rather than just buying presents to just have presents.

As for me, I'm trying to do as many handmade gifts this year as possible.  Not only do they say "You're important enough to me that I took the time and effort to make you something," but this way you're giving them a something completely unique.  For example, I'm giving my grandma this knitted "Boneyard Shawl" for her birthday tomorrow.

I used a really beautiful, soft Alpaca yarn from Cascade Yarns, and the pattern I found on Ravelry.  It's such a nice wrap that I'm actually making a second one with the left over yarn, which I also used to make this little knit envelope for the card.

This pattern I came up with myself, and will definitely use again.  Even the card was handmade, using some patterned scrapbook paper and an index card.

See?  This way gift giving is not only creative and personal, but also a lot more fun than fighting over items at a mall.  So, do you have any ideas for handmade gifts this holiday season?

Wall Wednesday: For Giants Fans

It's really starting to feel like fall here in San Francisco.  We had our first few rainy days of the season, it's starting to cool down, the Giants are in the World Series... That's right, I'm actually watching now as I write this post!  In that spirit, I wanted to add some decorations to my room that reflected the season and what I love about it most: post-season baseball.

The first thing I added was a little Giants garland out of string and construction paper.  It was super easy (I did it while watching one of the NLCS games) and I love the way it adds a touch of black and orange without dominating the wall or making the room feel darker.

On my closet, I'm collecting pictures from the SF Chronicle of my favorite players and moments.  I'm sure it will only get bigger as the World Series plays out!

Finally, I completed my Giants scarf!  I started knitting it during the last week or so of the regular season while I watched the games, and just finished it during Game 6 of the NLCS.  And, because I'm a superstitious fan, I've been wearing it as much as possible.  Who knew that the free pattern that came with the yarn would be so cute?

Well, off to keep watching the game.  The Giants are already up 4 - 0!

Wall Wednesday: Adding Some Color

My latest adventures in decorating have taken a little bit longer because, 1) I've been busy and 2) they've been slightly bigger projects.  I did this drawing over the long Columbus Day weekend.  I trekked up to the park to draw the beautifully cloudy and colorful sky.  The sky was done in pastels and the bottom with my favorite drawing tool, black Sharpie.  I like the contrast between the softness of the pastel and the sharpness of the marker.  This is now hanging on my wall by the same string and binder clips that I used before.

My other project over the last couple of weeks was this adorable, stretchy knit basket.  It's based loosely on this Pickles pattern.  I have to admit, I didn't really understand it and have never really knitted in the round before, so I modified it a bit to achieve the same basic look.  In case you're interested in making one yourself, I used Lamb's Pride Bulky yarn and:

1) Cast on 30
2) Garter stitch across until almost the end of your skein
3) Stich together with a tapestry needle as though you're making a flat pouch.

I love the basket because it was super easy and can be as big or little as you need it to be because it's so stretchy.  I have another skein of Lamb's Pride just waiting to be turned into another basket of another color.  I like mixing and matching with different bright colors to create a cozy spring feeling inside as the weather gradually gets colder.  Let me know if you try this out; I'd love to see any pictures!

Sheepish Yarn Bombing Day

Happy Saturday, everyone!  It's been a very yarn filled weekend so far.  Yesterday I took a trip to the yarn shop to start making a present, and today I went yarn bombing.  For those of you who have never heard of yarn bombing, it's essentially yarn graffiti.  Some people get really, really into it and create amazing pieces of art.  Don't believe me? Try Googling it!

Anyways, last week Meredith from the blog One Sheepish Girl declared today Sheepish Yarn Bombing Day.  As a fellow shy young woman, she's really been an inspiration for me and I have always enjoyed reading her blog, so I decided to get in on the action.  I yarn bombed the park up the street on their basketball court.  I have to admit, it was really exhilarating and I wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be.  Quite a few people walked past me curiously, but only one little kid had the guts to come up and say, "Hey, that's a basketball hoop!"

Why, yes it is.  And now it's more colorful than ever.

Overall, I'd count this yarn bombing experiment as a success, and I cannot wait to do it again.  Maybe sometime soon I'll get up the guts to do it in a more public place, or in a bigger piece.  I can't wait to see what everyone else did.  Thanks for the challenge, Meredith!

Update: I'm happy to announce that Meredith posted a collection of all the yarn bombs from Saturday.  My pictures are featured, and I strongly suggest that you check it out!  Some people got very creative.