Sunday, December 03, 2006

Brrrrr! (sort of)

At last, a cold front! Time for a sweater, maybe some mittens, and the inevitable struggles to keep a hat on the Kiddo. The temperature outside isn't below freezing yet, but at least we're moving in that direction. I actually enjoy the short days and the ritual of wrapping up in coats, scarves, mittens, hats. Isn't that weird? You can take the girl out of Wisconsin but, well, you know.


On the other hand, winter brings that dreaded month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can't be the only person who wants to hide someplace for all of December, can I? Making lists, assembling packages for the mail, digging the Christmas decorations out of storage, finding time to purchase and carry home a tree, etc. It's all very festive and comes with so many implied expectations and the resulting stresses of those expectations.



We don't do big holiday celebrations at our house, and our families generally keep Christmas gift-giving fairly simple. But with selecting gifts for my four sisters and their spouses/boyfriends and children, Todd's sister, our parents and my Grandma, even simple gift giving starts to feel a bit overwhelming. Last year I wanted to make gifts for everyone and, with the last-minute assistance of my Mom, managed to finish most of my plans and lob it all into the postal system before it was too late. But it really was stressful, and I swore I would keep it much simpler this year.


So these mitten ornaments are the sum total of my hand-made Christmas gift-giving plans for 2006. I've been obsessedly cutting, stitching, and embellishing for the past week, and it's actually been fun instead of stressful!


Tomorrow I'll (hopefully) post the instructions and a pattern so you can make your own little mitten ornaments. They are quite simple and fun to make, and you could invent a million ways to decorate and embellish them. I stuck with undyed wool felt, but just imagine where you could go if you started using brightly colored felt, or maybe even old striped felted sweaters! And you could embellish with beads, lace, or the embroidery stitches on a sewing machine. Endless possibilities!


Whoa. Must stop myself from getting carried away over here. We don't want repeats of last year's crafting frenzy, believe me!

More photos here.

Update: the pattern is available here.

20 comments:

  1. No, you are not alone. I've been wishing for the past few years that we could schedule a vacation for the entire month of December and come back home after all of the hupla is over... not to say that I don't like Christmas, I just dislike all of the other stuff leading up to Christmas, the shopping, the stress, the lines. Eeek!

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  2. Anonymous12:19 AM

    Your mitten ornaments are perfect Liesl!

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  3. those ornaments are so sweet.

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  4. Next year I shall hibernate!

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  5. Couldn't agree with you more on the Christmas thing.We are very simple in the Christmas department and enjoy it very much. And really like the mittens.

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  6. ohhh very beautiful!simple and original mittens....

    waiting for the patterns ;)

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  7. I too would like to hide out for the month of December. It was all so much easier when I was a child!!

    The mitten ornaments are adorable!

    Teresa

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  8. your definately not alone. i've been struggling with the same thing since...well, uum, halloween practically! i love the little mittens & cant wait for the pattern:)

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  9. Anonymous11:54 AM

    this garland looks so nice!

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  10. Anonymous2:34 PM

    Oh I love those mitten ornaments!

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  11. Anonymous2:36 PM

    these are absolutely adorable! i was just thinking what a cute advent calendar, to have 25 on a clothes line with little goodies in them, one to be taken down each day! so sweet. (ps- lurked here for a while, hello!)

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  12. So, so beautiful. Thanks for sharing your ideas

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  13. Anonymous8:43 PM

    You said it. The month between TG and Xmas is awful. However, your little mittens are charming! I would definitely give them a try (next year).

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  14. Anonymous12:28 AM

    Your mittens are delightful!

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  15. Anonymous11:35 AM

    I love your mitten ornaments. They're all so indivdual and clever!

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  16. Anonymous4:33 PM

    those are great!

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  17. Anonymous10:55 PM

    These mittens are so charming. Just love them!

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  18. Anonymous8:49 PM

    I'd LOVE to see a pattern for those, they are so cute!

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  19. I LOVE your mittens- saw them on purl bee flickr page...my favorites- wool felt and buttons. Now to make some...

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  20. Lindas.Perfeitas!! Amei!
    Tenha um dia maravilhoso!!

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