Timeless Treasures

It seems to me that when it comes to handmade items, there are 2 kinds of people:

1. Those who make things

2. Those who do not.

Within the “those who do not” category – there are also 2 kinds of people:

1. Those who do not make things but are enchanted with all things handmade.

2. Those who do not make things and find nothing special about handmade things.

I’m not judging anyone – everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. I’d just like to offer mine. 😉

Alrighty, Crystal. Go right ahead!

What brings this up all of a sudden? Spill it!

Well, I’ve been doing some sorting/organizing and I came across a little bag of “test” pieces made by my mother-in law. She’s been gone for 15 years now and I’ve had them that long – just can’t part with them. You see, I’m one of those people who is touched by handmade things. (You probably knew that.)

There’s a bit of her spirit in these . . .

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It was probably an ordinary day when she worked on these sample pieces. (Maybe it was snowing; maybe she had a cake in the oven!) They were created in preparation of assorted projects she was about to begin. While doing a swatch – she’d be testing the yarn, or the size of the stitches, or even the colors. As I hold them now, I wonder… Did she and I talk on the phone on a day she worked on one of these? Could be.

Whenever I’m at a garage sale or flea market, I always feel a twinge of sadness when I see people’s handwork for sale by their heirs – for pennies! Those heirs are surely in the group who don’t see anything special about handmade things.

My mother-in-law was an avid knitter. She made countless sweaters for her family – from the time they were in the cradle until they were fully grown.

Here are the beginnings of a baby sweater. She made dozens of them.

Then there were the afghans she made for all of us. They were virtual hugs that warmed our hearts as well as our shoulders.

This next photo shows her favorite afghan pattern – an Aran knit with cables. So labor-intensive! It has long strips and miles of stitches to sew together afterward. She made many of these, too.

Not only an expert knitter, Sir Beads’ Mom could crochet, sew, embroider, and do tatting, as well. No matter how experienced she became, she was a firm believer in doing a practice piece before beginning a new project. I’m still a novice compared to her and yet I seldom have the patience to do a test swatch. I usually jump right into a pattern and then spend more time unwinding and re-doing than it would have taken to make that practice piece in the first place!

I recognize this motif as a test for an afghan she eventually made for my younger daughter – her youngest grandchild.

I should probably turn these pieces into pillows or something more permanent. She lives in them still – her laugh, her love, her talent.

I have them carefully tucked away with things I treasure. Just looking at them every now and then brings back so many memories.

With my own handcrafts, I’ve always thought that the act of making them was truly enough . . . I didn’t have to wonder what would become of them when I am gone. I thought the important thing was the experience of creating something.

But, as I look at Mom’s little yarn “doodles” here in front of me, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided that handmade items have even more value than just giving a sense of fulfillment to the artist . . .

To those who notice and cherish the message – they’re a connection to the past, to the soul of a person. It’s a joy, it’s intriguing, it can even be a comfort that in the middle of all the drama and change in life – some things live on.

I’d like to think the essence of a person remains in something she (or he) made with her own hands. If so, there are “heirlooms” all around us! 😀

Hugs,

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Circles and Squares

Remember a couple of months ago when I showed you these?

I had whipped them up one evening as I was delaying waiting to make dinner. 😉 I called the post Playing Hooky and you can find it here.


Since then, they’ve acquired a few new friends….


I plan to make a pillow – I’ve even bought the pillow form – but I still need to make the reverse side.

At the same time, I’m working on a coordinating pillow that, believe it or not, will be round when it’s finished!

This summer has been a little on the warm side to have yarn on my lap, but there’s nothing like a cool autumn evening to squeeze in a little relaxation . . . and knit or crochet or do anything else you think is fun! 🙂

Smiles,

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eeks!!!!

My recent post about “woman or mouse” reminded me that I had a pattern for a tiny knitted mouse tucked away.

It looked quick and easy – so I put it in my folder of TV Time projects!

I actually think knitted mice, fabric mice, or mouse figurines are adorable! They make really sweet ornaments, too!

After all, you gotta have a mouse near the Christmas tree for – you know – “Not a creature was stirring . . . ”!

All that being said, I am afraid of real mice! 😉 Silly, yes?

Well, here’s the little guy. And the pattern is here.

Why oh why didn’t I remember to put something else into the photo, so you’d be able to see how small he is??? Duh!

He’s about the size of an egg. 😀

One last thing . . .

If, on a “dark and stormy night” (as Snoopy might say), I ever happened to awake and see a little face like this staring at me . . .

Well, let’s just say you’d probably hear me screaming wherever you are! 😉

Hugs,
Crystal

12 Ornaments of Christmas – Pt. 3

The 3rd ornament in this series is a miniature winter hat! It measures just 2-1/2″ tall – so sweet!

Now please don’t worry if knitting isn’t your thing, because this will probably be the last knitted ornament that I present this year. I wanted to make it now while I still had my yarn and knitting needles handy, but next week I’ll be moving on to another craft. 🙂

Tiny Knit Hat with Tassel

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So here we have another quick and easy design – only basic skills required. The pattern (found here) also includes several variations if you’d like more of a challenge. There’s an adorable Aran knit, for example.

In the interest of speed, I chose this striped style and then decided to add a tassel instead of the standard pom pom – just to shake things up a bit. 😉

A collection of these little hats would be darling on the tree, but they’d also make great package tie-ons or party favors. In the pattern photo, there’s even one “dressing-up” a gift bottle.

But then, you might have a mini bear who’d be delighted to keep snuggly warm this winter in a slightly over–sized hat!

Bear1a

Bear2aa

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12 Ornaments of Christmas – Pt. 1

Ok, I know. I KNOW!!! We may not be ready to think about the holidays just yet, but if you’d like to make gifts or decorations this year – time’s a wasting!

Today I’m launching a new series, “The Twelve Ornaments of Christmas”. Each week from now until Santa’s on the way, I plan to post a new ornament that I’ve made, along with the directions for you to make one too, if you like!

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This week, I have a little sneaker, or “tennis shoe”, for the knitters among you!

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It was not very complicated and fairly quick to make with small scraps of yarn. I used holiday red but this would be cute in any color as a party favor, perhaps? I can imagine it filled with candy or a tiny stuffed animal and then set at each guest’s place for a birthday party or an after-sports event. You can find the pattern here.

It’s going to look adorable on the tree this year! 🙂

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