Christmas and ChristmaHanukkah Stockings

For several years now, I've been saying I want to knit stockings for Alex and me. This year, I had zero excuses for not knitting them, and I even started on them back in the summer.

The stocking was always one of my favorite parts of Christmas as a kid. My brother and I had red and white stockings, and Mom added our names with felt letters at the top. They were filled with our favorite candy (Reese's was our #1), and lots of fun little gifts like card games, a CD, and a movie. It was so fun to dump all the contents on the floor and dig through it.

These are going to look so pretty hanging by our fireplace!

Pattern: KAB Christmas Stocking by ChemKnits

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore D.K. in Red, Christmas Green, Blue, and White

Alex loves dinosaurs and bass, so this one was perfect for him. He asked for a blue and white color scheme for Hanukkah colors. This pattern is awesome because it mixes so many different things: stars, Space Invaders, dinosaurs, music.

Pattern: Arlo's Christmas Stocking by Antje Karl (Free pattern!)

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted in Christmas Green and White

I wanted something more Scandinavian inspired for my stocking. I'm not a big fan of Christmas red, so I went with a green and white color combo. I really love the back of this pattern. It looks like pretty little icicles.

Happy Crafty New Year! Top Instagram Photos of 2017

Happy new year! For those of you not on Instagram, here's a little recap of my top 9 photos of 2017.

Clockwise from top left: Sami in her Bristol Ivy Brooke Sweater and me in my Agrotera Sweater by Amanda Bell; Alex and Nietzsche in their weenie costumes; Me holding Yoko's sweet bunny at Echoview Fiber Mill in my Amy Herzog Options Sweater; Me in my Arm Knit Cable Scarf; Alex's knitted sock collection; Steve and Liz's fox wedding gift; foxy brooches for my crafty friends; the first winter snow of 2017. Center: Me in my Stephen West Dotted Rays shawl.

Free Patterns for Knitted Gift Card Holders on Craftsy

I'm sorry, but we have to talk about the holidays.

I'm so thrilled to be a part of Craftsy's just-released holiday knitting guide, A Knitter's Handmade Holiday! You'll find all kinds of goodies in there like one-skein gifts, kit ideas, tips, and even a shortbread recipe. Most importantly, you'll find inspiration to get started on your holiday knitting now.

Check out pages 10-11 for tips for knitting on the go from me and fellow Craftsy blogger Kathryn Vercillo. On pages 26-27, you'll find my knitted gift card holder pattern along with several different variations from the Craftsy team.

Download A Knitter's Handmade Holiday for free here!

Quick DIY Glitter Pine Cone Mason Jar Centerpieces

Tis the season for glitter and pine cones! I love both of those things, don't you?

I've been working on holiday DIYs lately that take days and even weeks. These holiday DIYs are eating up my time, and eating up my money. So I was in the mood for a DIY that I could do in one day for free.

Our yard is littered with pine cones this time of year, so Alex and I spent a few minutes gathering them to make this festive glitter pine cone mason jar centerpiece.

Happy Holidays

Happy holidays! I hope you take time to breathe if you've been crafting gifts. (Some of you are probably still crafting. The end is near!)

Stuff yourself full of fatty foods, and then make something for yourself. Or work on a project you haven't had time to do because you've been tangled up in yarn and fabric scraps.








Bake cookies. Eat cookies. Repeat.

I already got started with some peanut butter cookies.

Martha Stewart Cookie Swap and Holiday Party

My co-workers are all talented in some Martha-esque way, whether it's crafting, decorating, or cooking. I'm no professional baker, but when Martha Stewart hosted an employee cookie swap during the holiday party, I gave it a try!

For my cookie, I used Everyday Food's Black Forest Cookies recipe. They're chocolate cookies with even more chocolate folded into the batter at the end so that when you bite into them, you get dried cherries and large chunks of chocolate. My cookies were delicious, but they sort of resembled little piles of dog poo.

 

The company gave us Martha boxes for packaging. I love the polka dot paper and scalloped edges.

There were two long tables full of cookies. Some of the cookies at the swap looked so professional! I was intimidated when I brought my little piles of dog poo over.

Lots of delicious food floated around the party. Pierre Schaedelin always caters our parties, and he never lets me down! My favorite was a mini grilled cheese, but I couldn't get a photo because I was using my free hand to fight my co-workers for the last ones on the tray.

The meatballs were pretty good, too.

Martha Stewart chose to -- unlike me -- take some great photos instead of stuffing her face. Check out Martha's blog for photos of my coworkers and the party! (I'm definitely dancing in that next-to-last photo, but I'm barely recognizable in the dark. I may have also been singing "Holiday" by Madonna.)

Christmas Yarn Tree

On Saturday, I was in a Christmas mood and decided to break out some of my holiday decorations.

Decorating a Brooklyn apartment is no easy task. In such a small apartment, one item can take up a lot of room and look like clutter. My solution? Tiny little Styrofoam cone Christmas trees!

I simply wrapped Lion Brand yarn around a Styrofoam cone, securing it at the beginning and throughout with drops of hot glue. I poked little beads from Michaels into the cone for decoration and added a circle of felt to the bottom so it wasn't scratchy.

It took only a few minutes to make, it was inexpensive, and it didn't make my brain explode. Now that's my kind of Christmas.

Have any ideas for decorating small spaces during the holidays? I'd love to try out some new decor!