Well, we made it through Thanksgiving relatively unscathed. We hosted this year which meant 1-7 additional people (depending on the day) staying with us in our tiny house for 5 days. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel all that cramped though, and our Thanksgiving couldn’t have been nicer. Dave’s mom, sister, her husband and their too-freakin’-cute-for-words toddler son came out from the Dallas area, bringing all kinds of T-day goodies with them. It was also my mom’s 65th b-day so my brother–who usually avoids family holidays at all costs (don’t ask), opting instead for working at the fire station every year–even flew out for the occasion! This in and of itself made the day rule the school because a.) I *heart* my bro to the umpth degree and b.) having all three of us together was the best gift possible for my mom.
Dave did most of the cooking, making the best version of “turkey” I’ve ever had. For you fellow vegetarians out there who’ve been subjecting yourselves to spongy soy roasts all of these years, PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE TOFURKEY! There’s a relatively new product out by the UK brand Quorn that tastes so close to real turkey breast, that even the carnivores in the group were nibbling on it cold the next day! Bake it in olive oil, rosemary, oregano and a little salt & pepper, and the result is pretty darn near perfection. Seriously.
The only thing that I cooked myself, was the cornbread stuffing my mom used to make when we were kids. This is the one dish that makes or breaks Thanksgiving for me–it’s not the holiday with out it in my humble opinion. But I digress.
The holiday week turned out to be pretty crafty in Casa de Howell/Campbell beginning with , my mom’s birthday present. Since 65 is a monumental year, I thought a keepsake would be the way to go. Tanner & Tristan collaborated on drawing a card for her, which I then transferred onto some unbleached cotton, embroidered over, sewed into a pillow. I was a little nervous that it wouldn’t seem like enough, but when the happy tears started flowing I breathed a sigh of relief. 😉 For all of you out there trying to think of grandparent gifts for Christmas & Hanukkah, embroidered artwork (for photo album covers, journals, pillows, or just framed) makes for a great option. It’s a fantastic opportunity to co-produce something with your kids, instilling a sense of pride and giving in them. Not to mention, since now we’re officially in a recession, handmade gifts offer a thoughtful way to honor your loved ones without breaking the bank!
For a refresher course on how to get artwork transfered onto fabric, see my Eco-Craft article from a back issue of KIWI Magazine, here.
For the first time this year, I started and got 2/3 through (thanks to super-bulky yarn & size 19 needles) a non-work related project for myself! Below is my WIP Rockerfeller sweater, from Twinkle’s Big City Knits. I love working off other people’s patterns every once in a while, to see how differently everyone designs and writes patterns. It seems to vary greatly from to designer to designer which I guess speaks to the fact that knitting is an oral tradition with many different interpretations. This can be pretty frustrating for knitters but also, a opportunity for learning.
The kids got in on the crafty action (again) by making the obligatory waxed paper place mats, for the Thanksgiving kiddie table. Here they are working on the only surface at the time, that didn’t have food or dishes on it. 😉
Lastly, after 2 years of talking about it, I finally taught my sister-in-law Meredith to knit. She’s a complete natural! I literally showed her 2 stitches and watched her as she knit 2 more herself, and she had it. She knit the piece she’s holding in a matter of 2 hours, WHILE drinking wine and watching a movie! She’s officially kicked Will Forte out of his 3-year reigning “fastest learner” position. 🙂 I’ve brought another innocent person over to the knitting dark side–mwahhahhah!
I hope you’re all recovering from your own holiday adventures, and that you all had a peaceful and happy week. More later!
Today's the day we kick off the Crochet-along for the @pompommag Overprint Bag, in partnership with designer @juliamadill
We've put together Montoya Merino Light kits in my YarnYAY! shop, but no matter which yarn you use (the called-for yarn is rad, but a little harder to get here in the states -- see Julia's great post about yarn substitutions), we'd love for you to make yours along with us!
Psst...YarnYAYers get a special 20% off the digital issue pf Pom Pom. See our kit page (tap or go to yarnyay.com) for details!
Join the YarnYAY! Facebook Group and/OR Ravelry Group to follow along. Hope to see you there!
The March YarnYAY! Box crochet project is 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘵, a crochet, boomerang shawlette. The shape is more commonly seen in knitted pieces, but I love it because if you want the piece to be larger, you just keep working it in the established pattern.
𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘵 is worked with a sweet, as-to-go edging and optional, appliquéd, chain-florets. I designed it to be worn as shown here, scarf-style, but with the option to go full-shawl. You do you!
𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘆𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 — 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗝𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿 — 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗬𝗔𝗬! 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗕𝗼𝘅 (𝘁𝗮𝗽, 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗼, 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗬𝗔𝗬.𝗰𝗼𝗺)
MODEL FUN FACT:
The gorgeous human modeling this shawlette, Kat Roberts, was the main featured young woman (swipe to see) in the infamous 1992, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog video “Nothing But a G Thang”. That video didn’t age well, but man, she sure did! 🤩
#yarnyay #crochetersofinstagram...
We are so excited that our friend and YarnYAY! Design Manager, @juliamadill's Overprint Bag design was published in the Spring '23 issue of @pompommag !
We love the graphic look, and environmentally conscious purpose of this crochet tote so much, that we've put together two colorful, Montoya Merino Light kits to celebrate!
Go to the YarnYAY! shop link in my @vickiehowell bio to learn more AND get a 20% off discount for the digital issue of the magazine.
Oh, and keep your eyes open for a crochet-along, coming on 3/29!