and so it begins...

I think I have had too much going on in my life these last few months, so much so that I have officially declared myself on holidays. No matter how desperate a new design playing in my head wants to be knit, it's not getting out. It can be sketched but December is crazy enough as it is without committing myself to new designs or test knits. I still have the finishing touches to put on Darwinia.  So new pattern ideas, listen up! Stay put for just a while longer, please. I'll let you out after the festive season is over. Please play nicely for me.

December is for Christmas crafting. I'm trying ever so hard to create quite a few of my Christmas presents this year. I have a list of what I want to achieve, I'd love to make something for everyone on my Christmas list, but you know, I have a big big big family, and that ain't going to happen.  So far I have two pressies done; one knit, one sewn. Two from two days, so going well and tonight I've started knitting the third in some gorgeous Sublime Soya Cotton dk.

I've been on a challenge this year to buy no clothes at all; neither new or secondhand. Yes, it has been hard at times, but we're nearly there. Usually, the kiddies have new clothes in their Santa sacks, so this year I'm going to have to make them some. My plans are for some dresses and skirts for Lily, some shorts and appliqued t-shirts for Toby (he has a few plain fair trade organic ones in his wardrobe he hasn't worn much as they're so plain that could do with some jazzying up).  They may even score some new knits.  Keeping this secret from Lily is the hard part, Toby is totally oblivious to it all, but Lily doesn't miss a thing.  She noticed the empty package in my sewing room with the belle and boo tape on it. She noticed the red riding hood fabric next to the machine. She noticed me sewing with my organic denim today, so ducked off to put on a pair of her old shorts, as if to say, "yep, I do wear them, Mum! Make me some more!"

Man, she even noticed the subliminal advertising Safeway snuck into their Christmas colouring competition (I love that she coloured Santa's beard brown because white doesn't show on white and Toby artfully snipped around the outside of his picture). By the way, never try to have a discussion about the negatives of colouring in and colouring competitions with a Check Out Operator... let's not go there ;)

Unfortunately, I can't show you photos here of the Christmas pressies, as while the recipients don't read this blog (well, they can't actually read you know) Mums do.  I could ask those mums to look away, but you know, I know them well enough to know that they won't.  They're curious types, a bit like me really. Funny that, being sisters and all.

Are you planning many handmade Christmas pressies?
What are you planning on creating?

ok, off to Christmas knit, the photos I'm leaving you with today are of my new acacia pattern knit in wool (WOOLganics of course, Lotus colourway). While the pattern is designed for cotton is does work beautifully in wool as well.  This will make a great vest for most seasons of the year, it looks awesome under a tshirt.