Merry Christmas!
This year I know first hand how sad this holiday season can sometimes be when you've lost a loved one. I hope this cute little snowgirl I made for my friend Tanya's birthday will bring you a moment of cheer, whether or not you too are feeling a little down right now. (She's a snowgirl because her hat is magenta.) May 2009 be better for us all. I will be glad to put this year behind me, frankly.
Tanya's Christmas tree has a snowman theme, and I plan to continue coming up with original new snowmen and -women in the future, since we have now gotten into a tradition of trading handmade Christmas decorations every year -- take a look at this gorgeous slate she painted for me!
Tanya has become such a good friend to me these last few years. Last month, I felt that friendship got deeper and stronger when she travelled from Waterloo to be at my father's funeral in Windsor. I can't begin to tell you how much that moved me, other than to say I will be making a much greater effort after that experience to participate in funeral rituals for the loved ones of those I care about. I don't think I will ever forget her kindness, and the best way I know to show my gratitude is to pay it forward, you know?
OK, technical details of this little ornament, for those who are interested: I drew the shape freehand on a piece of 1/2 inch pine, cut it out on the scrollsaw and sanded it myself (yay powertools!) before painting it white. The black marker eyes were inspired by Glenna's Korknisse. I made the hat in the round on 3.5 mm DPNs from some leftover Philosopher's Wool Tanya gave me last year, improvising a ribbed pattern and topping it with a pompom. The hat was a bit big but I was able to draw the yarn tail through the edge to tighten it up. (Not a good strategy for a hat to go on a human head, but worked really well to secure the hat in place on the ornament, which I further secured by putting the hanging loop's eyelet screw right through it... also not recommended for human heads.) I finished the teeny garter stitch scarf (Patons Kroy Sock in discontinued colourway "Stained Glass") at Tanya's before dinner on Saturday night. I knit the scarf lengthwise on the same needles then cut and tied the yarn after each row to create the fringe. Tanya seemed truly delighted with her birthday gift, as well as with her Christmas present, a simple triangular garter-stitch shawl of 2 skeins of Fiddlesticks recycled silk sari yarn that I finished after dinner. Since Last-Minute Lisa finished both these projects after dark (and I forgot my camera to boot), Tanya kindly photographed them and posted them to her Flickr account today for me, and gave me permission to use the pictures. Thanks, Tanya!
In other news, I just have to say: The Flight of the Conchords season 1 DVD is hilarious. LOVE. That is all.
Tanya's Christmas tree has a snowman theme, and I plan to continue coming up with original new snowmen and -women in the future, since we have now gotten into a tradition of trading handmade Christmas decorations every year -- take a look at this gorgeous slate she painted for me!
Tanya has become such a good friend to me these last few years. Last month, I felt that friendship got deeper and stronger when she travelled from Waterloo to be at my father's funeral in Windsor. I can't begin to tell you how much that moved me, other than to say I will be making a much greater effort after that experience to participate in funeral rituals for the loved ones of those I care about. I don't think I will ever forget her kindness, and the best way I know to show my gratitude is to pay it forward, you know?
OK, technical details of this little ornament, for those who are interested: I drew the shape freehand on a piece of 1/2 inch pine, cut it out on the scrollsaw and sanded it myself (yay powertools!) before painting it white. The black marker eyes were inspired by Glenna's Korknisse. I made the hat in the round on 3.5 mm DPNs from some leftover Philosopher's Wool Tanya gave me last year, improvising a ribbed pattern and topping it with a pompom. The hat was a bit big but I was able to draw the yarn tail through the edge to tighten it up. (Not a good strategy for a hat to go on a human head, but worked really well to secure the hat in place on the ornament, which I further secured by putting the hanging loop's eyelet screw right through it... also not recommended for human heads.) I finished the teeny garter stitch scarf (Patons Kroy Sock in discontinued colourway "Stained Glass") at Tanya's before dinner on Saturday night. I knit the scarf lengthwise on the same needles then cut and tied the yarn after each row to create the fringe. Tanya seemed truly delighted with her birthday gift, as well as with her Christmas present, a simple triangular garter-stitch shawl of 2 skeins of Fiddlesticks recycled silk sari yarn that I finished after dinner. Since Last-Minute Lisa finished both these projects after dark (and I forgot my camera to boot), Tanya kindly photographed them and posted them to her Flickr account today for me, and gave me permission to use the pictures. Thanks, Tanya!
In other news, I just have to say: The Flight of the Conchords season 1 DVD is hilarious. LOVE. That is all.
2 Comments:
Are you da BOOM king??
I da BOOM king.
:-D
I see you lookin' at my . . .boom boom boom
I'm sorry this year hasn't been better for you. Here's to '09! May the wind be at your back, and the road rise to meet you.
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