Christmas Has Been Delivered

Now that Christmas is over, I can show the few presents that I made that I was unable to show before.  I finished these presents long ago, even before I started the quilts, I believe. I know they were the first projects I started after last year's Christmas. I wasn't sure at the time what I would make for everyone, but I decided to make pot holders, oven mitts, and dish clothes for the ladies.  That is what I started making first.  Later, I decided to make the afghans for the men.  When everyone opened their gifts, the ladies right away realized that while I gave them things with which to work with, the men got something cozy to keep them warm and comfy. What can I say?  I didn't think of it that way, I just wanted to make something that they could all use, and what can you make for men that they can use to do work? I guess I better do a better job next year thinking it through about what to make for everyone. Anyway, here are the results of my labors of love for the ladies.

These are Cheryl's. Nothing really matches in any one's set because I just used different yarns that I had on hand.

Mindy's

Kim's

Ellen's

All the ladies ready to work.  Ezra thinks he will help Mama cook, too.

Here are all the men styling their afghans.

Now that Christmas is over, I am already on to doing some more projects.  I first have to finish the finger puppets for my new Sunbeam class that starts this Sunday.  I will be having seven little three year olds coming into my class, two of which are my own grandchildren, Joey and Dot.  I need to finish knitting four more puppets and put the hair and faces on them all. 

I still have to finish the afghan I started for Keeping America Warm.  When that is finished, I will begin working on some more baby play mat sets for some friends that are expecting babies this year.  One is for my friend's daughter who will be having twins.  This will be the second play mat set that is for twins.  I did a jungle mat for the first set of twins, and I will be making a Noah's Ark set for this set of twins.  I think I may make another forest mat for the other baby.

I wanted to show another picture of a project that I finished since Christmas. Unfortunately, I somehow deleted it from my camera before I got it downloaded to my computer.  When I went to Maine, my son told me that he could not longer use the sweater that I made for him about six years ago.  He has used that sweater constantly over those years, but because it is 100% wool, it has continued to shrink in length to being so short that he just couldn't use it anymore.  He has always used it as the outer layer of clothing because it worked so well to keep him dry.  Water just rolled off it and never sunk into his other clothing.  I took the sweater and added on to the bottom of it.  I had to add at least eight to ten inches to the thing to get it long enough.  It was always quite wide, and after I had added on the length and sewed the seam, I discovered that it bagged at his waist like a grain bag.  I was so upset, so I took the seam out and wedged the edges and then I sewed the seam back up. I was able to take in a good six inches at least and it ended up looking great.  I also had to add at least another six inches or so to the sleeves and bring the neck line in since it was always a little wide.  I had to use a different color of yarn because I couldn't get the same color from Ellen's wool yarn.  The sweater was a light gray and the extension is done in a darker gray color.  It looks very good that way, and even looks like it was planned.  I was so happy when he came down to celebrate our Christmas on New Year's day, that the sweater fit well and he is going to once again get some use out of his sweater.  You would think that after so many years of using the sweater that it would be worn out, but it actually seemed to get stronger.  After wool is washed so many times, it just becomes so felted that the yarn expands and gets thicker.  It is too bad that it shrinks so much, because it sure is a great type of yarn to use for keeping you warm and dry.