Christmas Projects

I love Christmas projects & always have a big list of things I want to make each year and so far always fall short of that. Some are bigger projects, some are small felt decorations & some are knitted goodies. So this year I found an incentive to make progess and joined up with Narelle and a talented bunch of bloggers & crafters to do '1 Christmas Item A Month'. Please go and check out Narelle's blog Pins & Whiskers (another kindred spirit - kitty muma) to see what has been made so far.

 

So I started off & racing, the first project started over Christmas holidays, before January even began. I have always got a bad case of the 'ahhhhhs' when ever any one posted a picture of a knitted Christmas bauble so that was my number 1 January project. I brought this book;

 

And I love it. It may take a few years but if I can get the 55 done I will (unless I buy another book with a new improved obession - yes I am a fickle crafter & a bookaholic - $20.01 delivered it my idea of fun!). Next problem - In the past my attempts to knit on 4 or 5 needles had been very slow and nothing to blog about. Thank goodness for YouTube. I watched a few videos, knitted along and was soon ready to tackle my first ball.

 

I started with a variegated yarn for my inaugural ball. No colour changes, no fancy pattern, just a sweet, simple ball. With a bit of a hole here, a few dropped needles and sitting directly under the air-con vent, Ball No 1 was soon done. I was so surprised I did Ball No 2 exactly the same just to prove I had the hang of it.

 

 

They turned out bigger than expected and have hung for over a month on the handle of the treadmill (glad it served some use!). So now for Ball No 3, still no colour changing, but feathery yarn - ohhhh. All I can say is that I am glad you can't see the stitches on this one. It turned out fine but not being able to see the stitches as I knitted I am sure they are all rather hicklety picklety underneath. It turned out even bigger too. If I gave this to big, bad Hun-bun to play with he would be shaking in his paws with fear! It is cute though & very fluffy.

 

 

Now on to the real thing - Ball No 4, my first two coloured ball. It is called Snow Crystal & although it has a bit of a hole here and there where I moved from needle to needle, I am happy with it for my first proper Christmas Ball (or bauble as is is unanimous us girls would call them). It is small & delicate and the size I expected for a Christmas decoration (about the size of a small orange). I guess all that colour winding makes the stitches tighter and pulls it together.

 

 

So these four masterpieces of knittery were completed by mid January, goal met, deadline met and then I got busy & didn't do a post about them. So very belatedly, these are my January Christmas projects.

 

 

So on to February. I think when everyone saw  Anthea's cushion either on Narelle's Christmas Project page or on Anthea's blog Hibiscus Stitches, we all fell in love and wanted one of those cushions too. It is a beautiful cushion by Natalie Bird.

 

As I said in my last post I used some favourite red robin fabric I brought at Ballarat Patchwork while over to get in to mischief with Shez & Melody. I cut the hexagons from the side that had the name of the fabric so can't tell you what it is called or who by. It is lovely & I am loving grey being a popular colour again. Hexies, stitcheries & quick, easy machine sewing - a dream project!

 

So here is my February Christmas Project

 

 

 

It's a definite Tracee special but anything accomplished in the last few weeks is a bonus. My stitcheries are placed a little wonky on the grey conversational print and I don't particularly like that fabric under the stitcheries with the hexie grey any more but I still think the end result is quirkily me. So thank you to Anthea for her inspiration, Shez for her help & Narelle for our great Christmas club.

 

So its night, night from Hun-bun

 

 

And night, night from me!

Tracee xx