roundup

I am finally getting to photographing the crafty gifts from the holidays. We decided we wanted to start a handmade tradition this year, and it went really well. We knew we wanted celebrating the solstice to be an important part of our traditions, and that we wanted to spread things out a bit so there wasn't just a lot of hype for just one morning of celebrations. The advent calender was great for this, and it is something I can look forward to growing with us as the kiddos get bigger and can take part in more activities and events. The other thing we did was to have a celebration on solstice, with the sharing of our handmade gifts to each other, and a small ceremony (or as much ceremony as is possible with a two-year-old and infant! This part will grow with us too.)

This hobby horse was my gift to Ari. I used the tutorial from the "Living Crafts" magazine, and the head is made from a sock (actually a pair of socks, one inside the other to make the loosely knit material a bit thicker and sturdier) that Perry had been carting around with him since his university days of importing crafts from South America. Nearly all of the materials for this were things that I already had, which made it extra satisfying. The bridle and reigns are from an old sweater I took apart for the wool, the mane is some o-wool left over from diaper cover knitting, and the buttons and wool felt were from my stash. The only purchased item was the doweling.

And Ari was might pleased with it. This horse is fast, and the boy is just a blur when riding it. As you can see.

And it's name changes every time we ask. "Deebaw"? "Koonfu"? "Nawblits"? None have stuck yet as they are rather difficult to pronounce, and nearly impossible to remember.