There has been a whirlwind of crafting here on the Homestead. Well, as much of a whirlwind as one can achieve when trying to keep up with the demands of a super active 6 month old wee one.
This Winter Olympics I had a simple and obvious goal…I was going to medal in the Ravelympics if it killed me! I was so disappointed when I wasn’t able to medal for my Who scarf last go around.
This time around…SUCCESS! I finally finished Finn’s ripple baby blanket (which I started back when I was knocked up).
Also, much to my hooking and swapping delight, there is another Potholder Swap! (Rav link) Hooray! I fiddled around with some patterns, but really wanted to do something different from last time. So I opted for this lovely flower motif due to it being delightfully old-timey.
If you’re not on Ravelry and want to ogle the gorgeous potholders everyone is cranking out, there is also a Flickr group.
There is other adventure afoot here on the Homestead, which I will get into in a later post. But for now the sun is shining, Finn is still a BGB (Big Giant Baby), and we’re being very productive on some very big projects.
As promised, some new freshly dyed top for the shop. Enjoy!
Did a small Etsy update, including some super yummy handspun and a bunch of delightful Merino/silk sock yarn.
I’ve also got a bunch of freshly dyed wool hanging to dry. Waiting, waiting, waiting…it’s so cold and rainy here things just stay vaguely damp, but I have high hopes for the drying warmth of the woodstove tonight! Soon as I can weigh it out I’ll pop it up in the shop as well.
We are a house of nerds, and Finnegan will be assimilated. You can really never start too early.
Some of you may recall far into the distant past to the 2008 Ravelympics. I didn’t get a medal (this year will be different!), but did ultimately finish my lofty knitting goal of making myself a fabulous and huge Four Scarf.
I also had quite a bit of leftover yarn, and what better way to stash bust than to make Finnegan a matching hat? It’s the obvious solution.
And here we are together showing off our matching nerd gear…
Well, I meant to post my Christmas crafting right after Christmas when all gifts had been given, but I managed to get waylaid by various and sundry other stuff. On the downside the blog is lonely. On the upside we’ve got a freshly redone bathroom, purged a crapload (that’s an official measurement, btw) of hoarded books, and I’ve embarked on an epic closet sorting/purging project.
So that’s good, right?
Anyhoo, on to the belated crafting roundup!
Now that I have a wee babe to keep a constant eye on, I had to keep things pretty simple. And what, I ask you, is more simple and rewarding than super quick to crochet up coasters? I could knock one of these out any time I had a few spare minutes and they added up quickly into pretty piles of goodness.
The yarn is just various skeins of Noro Kureyon, and the pattern is Motif #30, from the book “Beyond the Square; Crochet Motifs,” by Edie Eckman. (Rav link)
Family members got their very own little Finnegan ornament in honor of his Very First Christmas.
My mother was all atwitter over the potholders I did for the swap earlier this year, so she got a couple for her kitchen.
And Finnegan’s friend, Beatrix got a cozy handspun hat complete with pompoms.
The yarn is my own worsted two-ply handspun from my “Sweetpea” colorway and the pattern is the Brrr Baby Beanie.
Whew!
Not being able to post pictures of what you’re up to really cramps a girl’s blogging style, let me tell you. There will be a flurry of pictures post-Christmas of craftiness once all gifts have been delivered.
I can, however, show you cookies. I’m tickled to death over my woodland-themed cookie cutters. The cookies are traditional Pepparkakor (I substituted molasses for the corn syrup, and used half brown sugar).
Pepparkakor
I had oroginally thought I’d be doing a massive shop update before Christmas, but it’s going to just have to be a massive Happy New Years update at this point. Baby duty combined with Christmas preparations has sucked up any Maisy Day Handspun time.
BUT! How excited are we about Finn’s very first Christmas? So very excited! While he won’t remember his first Holidays, he’s enjoying it all quite a lot. He loves all the twinkling lights and ornaments, and I’ve been making sure he has plenty of paper demolishing practice so he’s ready for the Big Day. 
Happy Holidays from Finn!
The onslaught begins this upcoming weekend, so from here on out I may not have a chance for much, if any, posting until after Christmas. Due to that, I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday Season! May you be with those you love, and stuff oodles of good food in your pie hole!
Happy Holidays from the Homestead!
