Happy Holidays!

  I just got a box in the mail this week from my Mother back in the east.  I had no idea what it might be, maybe some early presents for the boys.  I opened it up and read her note...and cried. It's a good thing-by the way! It's not that it says so much, but in it's few words it says everything that matters about the holidays.

These are made using some of my Grandmother's knitting patterns from the Shetland Islands.

   "Hi there everyone- About six weeks ago I remembered what you said in your blog last December, Fiona, about not having your box of Christmas tree decorations with you. So I decided to gather the troops together and make a few for you to use this Christmas.
   I had hoped to get them sent to you a bit earlier than this but the last ones were just dropped off to me on Saturday- so here they all are!
   I hope you like them and that you feel the love from us all as you take them out of the box.
   We'll all miss all of you this Christmas and hope you feel our love emanating from the decorations on the tree!
Much love to you all, Mam/Granny xxxx"

   Ohhhhh.....It's so simple and perfect, don't you think? It makes me cry because we are far from our families this year, but this note and package reminds us that we are never that far apart. I pass by each one on our tree and I can picture each family member, young or old(er) so vividly!
  Beauty, handcraft, love and family....Gosh, just how much sentiment can these ornaments hold... they are like tiny little concentrated capsules of emotion!

  I've organized group projects/shared gifts like this for so many others- this is the first time I've been on the receiving end, and I can't believe just how touching it is. As others have said that received them- I feel so loved!

  Just wanted to share my gift of warmth with you! And wish you all such warmth, whether your families are near or far!
Have a joy filled, peaceful holiday!
Warm wishes,
Fiona

Wool Felt Fairy

  When I was about 10, we went to Denmark just before the holidays, on our way to visit my family in Scotland. It was such an exciting trip.  Denmark was so different from anywhere else I had been- very modern and stylish,and old at the same time.
We had gone out to dinner with some friends of my parents, and on our way out of the restaurant (after a meal of pigeon- a regional specialty! Somethings you never forget!) , a gold angel on the Christmas tree captured my eye. For some reason, I absolutely loved it. The kind family friend talked to the restaurant manager, and then presented me with this gold angel ornament. I felt like such a princess. Now, this was just a gold metallic paper cone,about 3 inches tall, with the same materials for the wings, a gold glass bauble for the head, and a gold pipe cleaner for a halo- not so fancy. But she caught the lights around her, and reflected them all around, and somehow encapsulated the whole magical experience of being in Denmark just before Christmas. 
  And of the simple gestures we can make that can mean so much to others. A key message for Christmas Day.
   I still have my angel- she goes on my tree every year, and every year it is a heartwarming memory- just as I feel now writing about it!

   But she is in the box of ornaments back in Ottawa, so I thought I would make an angel in the same style, out of wool felt. Perfect!

Wool Felt Fairy
materials:
small square yellow/gold wool felt, we used our Rainbow Dyed Wool Felt
small square white wool felt
yellow embroidery floss
wool felt bead-white or skintone
small amount wool locks or yarn for hair
sewing needle
fine wire or twist tie
gold beads
gold embroidery floss (optional)

 Using the Wool Felt Fairy Pattern pieces, cut out one wing and one body.

Wool Felt Fairy Pattern

(To open the pattern, click on the small text "Wool Felt Fairy pattern"above. Still investigating the best ways to make scale patterns available! Thanks for your patience!)

 Sew up the back of the body using blanket stitch.

 Using running stitch, sew around the top of the body and pull tight to gather to make the neck. Knot off.

 Sew the head to the neck. Tuck in the gathered edge as you go to make a neat finish. Try to pick up a good amount of fibers on both the neck and the head to get a good attachment.

 To make the hair with wool yarn, make a mini wig by making loops of yarn around your fingers and then tying together in the middle. Clip of the looped ends.

 

 Sew on the wool yarn wig in the middle to make a stitched part. If you are using wool locks, use this method also.Spread the hair out to cover the whole back of head, and sew in place around the bottom of the head, at the hairline.

 To make the halo, use a 4" length of fine wire, or a twist tie, stripped of paper. Make a little loop at the end and twist to secure.  Fill the wire with gold beads, then twist a loop at the other end to hold the beads in place.

 Sew onto the fairy's head, stitching on either side through the loop in the wire. Adjust the halo so that it is nicely placed and rounded.
Sew the wings onto the back of the fairy.

 Add a little embroidery, so she can catch and reflect the light. Try spirals or star rays, both made with simple straight stitches. These fairies look beautiful tucked onto a branch on a tree. They can also stand in a seasonal display, or be used as finger puppets. I have to write a story for mine! As I was making her I was thinking about what her story might be! 

Enjoy,

Fiona

Tree Project- ready for the holidays!

  Ahhhh...the tree is fully alight now that we have reached the Winter Solstice. From December 21st on, we will light one less candle on the tree each night, as the days get longer....even if only by moments...
  We didn't bring our candle clips with us, but I found some beautiful ones second hand that I love even more then the ones we have stored away. I'm so happy to have them- the candles and their light is my favorite part of the tree decorating, and once lit, they generate such a peaceful ambiance for our evening activities. It's amazing how much light is cast, just by the candles. Enough for me to knit by one night...and that was so soul soothing- everyone in bed, just sitting quietly in the glow, knitting...Perfect!

Since my last post, we made two more sets of ornaments. First the Paper Folded Flowers, and then our wool felt ornaments, each individually designed. These are made with our Hand Dyed Wool Felts.

We sit at the table, with warm tea and homemade cookies- absolutely essential to the designing process! We each draw what we want our ornaments to be. Then refine them to become paper patterns.

We trace the patterns carefully onto the wool felt using either a soft pencil (4B is good) or a sharpie marker.

We sew the two layers together, using either blanket stitch or running stitch.

The Gingerbread Chicken is sewn together around the edges using running stitch, in white, to look like an icing detail.

The Felt Star Cut-out is sewn with blanket stitch, to make a neat edge, before adding beads for a little sparkle. Last of all the hangers are sewn in place- just a simple embroidery floss loop, ready to hang!

The Wool Felt Fairy has a special story that I will share tomorrow, along with the patterns for each of these.

We didn't make anywhere near as many ornaments as I thought we would. Our tree projects days drifted into one another, as each day passed, full of other activities and engagements. This is as many ornaments as we will be able to make this year....and it is enough. With the beautiful cross stitched cards my mother makes holding special places on the tree; with our handmade ornaments and our candles alight; our tree looks full and joyous.  Full of shared experiences, light and warm wishes from family near and afar....Warm wishes, I share with you, and your families.

Folded Paper Flowers

These are some of my favorite ornaments- so simple, and an unusual design here in North America. This style of folding is traditionally done in New Zealand using green flax leaves.
Once, walking down a sidewalk in a New Zealand town, I passed a garden filled with flax growing out and over the path. Rather than cutting it all back, some creative passer by, or the gardener themselves, had woven the ends of the living flax leaves into this flower pattern, clearing the way with a visual gift! This random act of beauty reminds me to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings, and to hold a sense of that beauty within, in our day to day actions. And to occasionally participate in some guerrilla origami in the garden!

Materials:
watercolour paper, painted on both sides
scissors
embroidery floss or ribbon for hanging
wool felt beads (optional)

Cut the piece of watercolor paper to measure 14 inches long, 2 inches wide at one end and tapering evenly to a point at the other end.
Round the edges of the wide end.
Cut up the middle of the paper from the pointed tip, to within 1 inch from the rounded end.

Holding the rounded end in one hand, fold the left half strip behind the right half strip. Do not crease.

Continue folding the left half strip under the right side strip and over the top of the wide rounded end, as the folded spiral grows. The paper will first form a circle, and then will spiral around on top of itself.

Continue folding in this way until your reach the end of the strips. The paper folds will hold themselves in place. Trim the points as desired

Make a hole in the rounded end of the flower with a needle or hole punch and thread a 6” length of floss or ribbon through and knot at the top for a hanger. Thread a wool felt bead onto either end of a 6 inch length of floss or ribbon. Knot at both ends to secure the beads. Thread this through the bottom fold on the flower and knot, as an embellishment.

"Knitting is Love..."

Sometimes, as the makers of many gifts, we don't often receive many handmade gifts ourselves. Maybe the people around us think we could/would just make it for ourselves, or maybe they are intimidated to give their own creations to the ones that always make to give to others. Of course we love receiving materials and kits for making, and all the other well thought out gifts we receive- it is just more a thing of curiosity.
  It was after having a conversation on this topic with my dear fiber friend, Carol Secord, that our new tradition of making for the makers originated. Carol gave me this beautiful mohair overlay than can be worn as a "overlay" or overskirt.  She calls the design Naturally Neve. It is a quick knit, in the round, using mohair yarn on bottom in stocking stitch, and superwash merino on top in 2x2 ribbing to hold the neckline/waistline in place.

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I just can't call it a poncho- there has to be a new name for these sleeveless one piece toppers with no front opening or closures!   Somehow poncho just conjures up all sorts of retro images, not all good ones!  
Women stop me to complement my Naturally Neve every time I wear it.  And Salt Spring Islanders have a well developed aesthetic with the multitude of artists and crafts people that live here.  As one woman at the Beaver Point Craft Show said " It is perfect! You can wear it with anything, over other layers. But it isn't really a poncho- I love it!" 
  I love that with each wearing I am reminded of my friend, Carol. As my neighbour, Amy Melious  said, "knitting is love". And that is what handmade gift giving is all about, whether you are the recipient or the maker.

Living Crafts Fruit Basket by Nicole Spring

On this same topic, I recently received this note from Tracy, a member of last years Living Crafts Ornament Exchange,   "I was thinking about our ornament exchange last year and how wonderful it was to get a present just for me--usually as Mom's we are doing all the present giving.  I was wondering what you thought about posting to see if some of the mamas would want to do a one:one exchange.  We could make a list of those who were interested and make it so we each craft one ornament and send it on to the next person.  We could each take care of the postage and have an arrival date of no later than Jan. 6--Three Kings Day.  That would give us lots of time and we would all have a special gift just for us to remember our swap.  Thoughts?"

Upcycled Bird by Rachel Patton

   

 This email launched our One year Anniversary Ornament Exchange. We are each making just one ornament for one person.  Just one for the pleasure of making something to make another Mama (and her family) smile! It's a nice way to re-connect, and add one more ornament to our collections....and almost all of the participants from last year are taking part- because as much as we all love making and giving, we also love receiving a handmade token from another. As makers we recognize and  appreciate the time, love and attention that goes into each step.
"Knitting is love." And so is felting, stitching, carving and sanding....and we all need some of that!
Warm wishes,
Fiona

Wool Roving Pompom Snowman and Trees

There so many ways to use wool roving pompoms and here are two- 

Snowmen and Evergreen Trees.

Snowman
 Materials:
24 inches (60 cm) white wool roving, or about 0.4 ounce (10 grams)
24 inches (30cm) white wool yarn
small amount of orange felt
two small twigs for arms 

sharp scissors
yarn needle
tacky glue

small amount of dark colored wool roving for eyes

felting needle OR

two small black glass beads

Time for the project:
pompoms: 10minutes each
assembling: 20 minutes

Age suggestion:
3+ with assistance
7+ on own


Following the instructions for making wool roving pompom's here:

Making Wool Roving Pompoms
Make 2, trimming one a little smaller to be the head of the snowman. Be sure and leave the long yarn ends on the head pompom. Yarn ends can be cut off the body pompom.

Use the yarn ends to attach the head to the body. Sew one yarn end at a time, sew through the body, then back up to come out at the neck.

 Wrap yarn ends around neck in opposite directions and tie tightly.
Cut yarn ends off close to knot.

With just a small amount of wool roving, needelfelt in gently at the right eye placement.
To get the most neat finish, needlefelt only a little to hold to place, right in the middle of the fibers. Trim the protruding ends close to the wool surface.Instead of needlefelting you could glue on small black beads for eyes.

 Cut a small triangle in orange felt. Open up the fibers in the pom pom and glue in place.Dab a small amount of glue on each twig arm and push well into the pompom.
A tacky or quick set glue works really well for this.

If this snowman is to be a tree ornament, sew on a thread as a hanger, passing through the whole head to make secure.

We think these also look like little owls- we may have to try some with small wings, instead of twig arms!
The Evergreen Trees are made in the same way as the wool roving pompoms.
When trimming, cut one end on more of an angle to form the tree top. These are fantastic used on a playmat, or in a nature corner.

To make the Christmas tree- cut carefully around the yarn ends used for tying the pompom. these can become the hanger. Follow the instructions for the snowman's eyes to add some decorations or lights to your little evergreen tree!

You can also wool roving pom poms to make little mice- maybe you can imagine how fluffy and  cute they would be! Made in the same way as the Evergreen Tree, but leaving one yarn end at the round end as a tail.  So sweet!

Warm wishes,
Fiona