Tricks and Treats

October flew by in a flash and with the end of October comes Halloween.  In an effort to be different, I knit up some treats for some of the grandmunchkins.  There wasn't enough time to hit them all but several in the past have gotten something when others haven't so I think it's pretty fair.  A few in the IBK group in ravelry knit up a "Patch" in a fall swap and he was just too cute to resist.  So several found there way onto my needles and then in to two little girls' hands.  

                                           Patch number 1

 While I was on a toy splurge, I knit up the chicken and chicks from Spud and Chloe farm set for my Advent SP.  I think Susan B. Anderson is a genus.  This hen and her chicks were so fun to knit and the bottom of the hen is open so her chicks can scoot under her and keep warm.

                                                       Patch number 2

Did you know October is National Bat month?  It is!  So a granddaughter and grandson got a bat in lieu of a Patch.  The Audobon society brought bats into our granddaughter's classroom and she found them fascinating.  Who wouldn't?

And then it was time for tricks and treats!  We were so blessed this year that 8 of our 10 grandmunchkins knocked on our door for treats!  We had a biker chick, Freddy Kruger, a rock star, Dorothy, Elsa, Wolverine, Captain America, and "momas" (Thomas the Train)

The months of September and October are Advent swap knitting months.  I joined at the last minute not wanting to miss the fun.  There were several required knits, one being mice.  I knit the mice from Itty Bitty Nursery.  So cute and fun.  And I hated to send them away since they looked so cute in the teacup.

I got back into some cross stitch for the swap too.  I'm not thrilled with the finishing of the ornaments but very happy with the cross stitch.

One more bat off the needles since one of my swap partners loves bats!

And a  snowman cloth too.

The swap packages are in the mail so it's time to turn on the Christmas knitting.  Since the knitting is for children that don't read blogs I'll be sharing.

Yeah for cooler weather and fall activities!

I am not a summer person, nor a hot weather person, so when the weatherman predicted rain and cooler temps I cried.  It's been a long hot summer and I was more than ready for it to vamoose.  I love the rain, and fall, and cool weather.  I love the activities we do in the fall and through the spring.  

 Things like read books!  A friend from ravelry sent us this book.  I think we've read it 10 times.  What a fun book!  The art work is amazing too.

 Football!  Oh my, I love football season.  I more listen than watch since I'm churning out the knitting but I love football.  Our grandsons are playing flag football this season and we are loving the games.

 We return to library story time every Wednesday and come home with a big bag of books to read the following week.

 I've been getting a bit more knitting done.   Due in the part to the aforementioned football, but also due to the 2 hour nap time I have free while the littlest sleeps before I pick up the school kids.  I'm in the Advent swap again in the Itty Bitty group and one of the requirements to include was the nesting boxes from Itty Bitty Toys.  These took longer than I anticipated so I was glad I started them first.  Shega even helped with knitting one of them.  They were labor intensive but I loved the results.  It will be hard to send them away.  I think I'd do a few modifications if I were to do them again.

 There was also a fall swap in the itty bitty group that I joined.  One of the swapees shared her craft on the forum and I knew it would be fun to do with the kids.  She sent me some pointers when I asked about it.  Pumpkins from canning jar rings.  I wish I could come up with these creative ideas but I'm glad somebody does and then shares so the rest of us non creative types can copy.

 Step one was laying out the rings and painting the insides with spray paint.

 While waiting overnight from them to dry, we also did another craft I'd found on pininterest a year ago.  We even went leaf hunting and pressed the leaves.  They've been sitting in the garage for a year.  Using modge podge you paint the leaves on a canning jar and they use it as a candle holder.  They kids had fun with this too and although I don't have the finished project with a candle in it, it really does look wonderful with the light shining through the leaves. Lighter brown leaves work better than the dark red.

 After the rings were dry it was time to tie 12 of them together

 and form a pumpkin shape.

 Spray paint a glossy orange and we used a metallic copper to accent.

 Sprinkle glitter on the wet paint.

 In their minds there is no "too much" glitter.

 Success!  Can't wait for them to dry and put on the table with our candle holders.

I finished up some cute, and fun things.

It's that time again over in the IBK group on ravelry.  Time for the Advent Swap.  I think it's been going about 5 years now?  I almost didn't join in the fun this year.  It's a time commitment and I always seem to be late and you can choose to spend a bit.  After the sign ups were closed I lamented in the group that I'd missed them and Mel, the hostess with the mostess, offered to squeeze me in.  I couldn't refuse.  It's a secret swap and I don't think my swap partner reads my blog anyway so I'm sharing a few things I've made for it.  There are 25 things to be included and a list.  Some are must includes and some are open to interpretation.  For example, on one day you must include something red.  I haven't decided if these are for the red day, the "include something Christmasy" day, or even the white day.

 We had to include a project bag, made or bought.  I'm going with almost all made from stash this year since finances are tight.  I've had this fabric for about 8 years.  I bought it in a quilt shop in Joseph when we were camping at Wallowa Lake.  I originally made a granddaughter an outfit out of it but it was not well received.  It was too bright in the opinion of the parents.  So it's been sitting.  I loved it and it was an "aha" moment when I pulled it out and decided to make it into a project bag for me so I could look at it often.  There was enough for two project bags.  I  hope my swap partner likes it.

 A washcloth was a requirement.  I've wanted to knit this pattern for some time.  It screams home for Christmas to me.

 Another requirement was a dish towel.  I saw this gingerbread towel some time ago on pininterest.  It fit the bill!   I think I need to make another for my house.

 In the nick of time I finished up some baby gifts for an upcoming shower.  The shower is Saturday and I can't go but I still wanted to send some gifts.  Send being the operative word.  I stayed up until well after midnight last night finishing the sweater and was up at 6 this morning to put my go to gift for baby showers together..bibs.  Bibs that slip over the head and cover well.  They were born out of necessity 7 years ago when our grandchildren were born and there were 3 of them.  Three littles wanting to be fed and time was a wastin' tying or velcroing bibs.  Eventually the velcro wore out.  We were using towels anyway to cover what the bibs didn't.  Ta Da!  An idea for bibs was born and I've been making them for every baby shower since.

 One of my favorite baby girl sweater patterns:  the Tulip sweater from Dream in Color.  I haven't knit one in awhile but it sure made me remember why I have a stash of Dream in Color yarn.  The colors!  The softness!  I didn't do the seed stitch border along the front  or the i cord along the hem since I ran out of time but it's still cute.  And washable, and warm, and I hope Mommy is as pleased with it as I am.

I may have to make another.  My granddaughter wants one.

It's beginning to....

....be the slightly crazy season.  We haven't hit full blown crazy yet.  Give it a week.  I totally missed blogging about Thanksgiving.  It was a good one.  Almost the whole family joined us to partake of turkey and trimmings and football the Saturday after Thanksgiving. 

There was help in the kitchen.  Yep, 2 five year olds with knives that only threatened my limbs and eyes a few times.

 There were games with the grandmunchins.  You might notice the glaring difference in color around the table.  Lots of green and one lone orange.  That would be because the day we celebrated Thanksgiving was coincidentally the day of the Civil War.  The Oregon Civil War.  Ducks vs Beavers.  We have lots of Duck fans in our family and one lone Beaver fan.  (The Ducks won handily.)

 There was gingerbread cookie decorating.  I usually have gingerbread houses to decorate.  We changed it up this year so they each got to do their own.

 Um, there was some tasting going on too.

 And that brings us up to the Christmas season.  The first Saturday of December is the traditional decorating of the church.  Lots of help make it go quickly.  We nabbed a few grandmunchkins to help with the promise of breakfast out before the decorating.  The local Grange was having a pancake breakfast.  One of our granddaughters is a pancake fan and add hot chocolate and she was one happy girl and more than willing to help.

 Even little blue eyes helped.  In his sweet way.  He brought smiles to all he was around.

 First up is setting up the tree.  It's a fake tree and there was a class in fluffing branches 101. 

 They learned quickly.

 Then out came the ladder.  Oh my, it was THE place to be for the kids!  I must have 20 pictures of kids on ladders but I'll spare you.

 There was a lot of muscle helping out.

 I love the way the adults in our church family come alongside the littles and urge them to help and accept their help.  They train them, love them, encourage them, and church family is truly family.

 My mother in law started the tradition of decorating the church years ago.  She made it a family event.  Back in the day it was done with fresh greenery and took all day.  She provided treats and lunch for her family.  Due to allergies the fresh greenery is no longer used and the same decorations go up each year.  It is much faster and still beautiful.  She still provides treats though-hot apple cider and donut holes.

 The first Sunday of Advent.  And the church tree is decorated on that Sunday by the children.

 And the ladder saw a lot of action again.

 My husband has been part of our church's worship team for years.  He truly loves it.  While he and the team led worship, the children decorated.

 Speaking of Advent.  I joined the Advent swap in the Itty Bitty group again this year.  My swap partner is a young woman in Canada and the young woman that had my name is also from Canada.  I will do a blog post about it later since we are just beginning.  The idea is to send 24 small remembrances for your partner to open each day of Advent and one bigger gift to open on Christmas.  There were requirements for 12 of the gifts-something red, something green, a hand knit hat, etc.  I received my boxes several weeks before December and I hid them away so I would not be tempted.

 This was from the second day-a beautiful hand knit ornament.

 But whatever craziness the season brings, it all centers around the reason for the season.  A cliche to be sure but a true cliche nonetheless.  No matter what happens or doesn't happen, I am choosing to remember that Jesus is the reason we have Christmas.  I saw the last of one of my favorite Christmas movies last night, "The Christmas Box".  And Mrs. Parkin asked Richard what the first gift of Christmas was.  He finally figured it out-a child.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...."

Now, because there are no children here today, I am going to knit, have a cup of tea, watch a Christmas movie, and enjoy the quiet.  Because it's about to ramp up as we threw in painting our kitchen into the busiest time of year!