Catching Up Pt. 1

Hellooooooo!!!! I know it has been a while.  I have been pretty out of commission for several weeks.  The birthday party month of December was in over-drive this year, thanks to my parents' experiencing a bit of empty nest syndrome.  In 5 days, we did 3 birthday parties in 3 different cities.  And then we went straight into Christmas.  All of my out-of-town besties were back for the holidays, so in that week from Christmas to New Year's Eve, I scheduled 4-5 meet ups.  Let me say, I had a BLAST, but by New Year's Eve, I was exhausted.  We just lounged around in comfy pajamas, watching Survivor re-runs on Hulu Plus.  And then right after that, my sister had a birthday.  Ha!  There's really nothing for me to do from Thanksgiving until the second week of January other than celebrate and visit with friends & family.  It is what it is!

Usually, I make the terrible mistake of taking a hiatus during this busy time of the year and I don't return until this time next year.  It takes me a few weeks to recover from all the traveling and partying and holiday-ing.  And I never find my way back to my blog.  It's mainly about embarrassment for not sticking with my plans of blogging more often and lack of motivation to continue creating things once the holiday season has passed. 

Today, I am hanging out at home, babysitting my friend's little one and homeschooling my Little Darling to the tunes of Toddler Radio on Pandora.  I have been busting my ass all week to get caught up on the domestic responsibilities I have let fall to the wayside in the past 4 weeks.  I am really excited to just get caught up with things on here, in Blog World, and just resume my normal life routine!

So let's get to it...  This year, as with most, I did a lot of hand made gifts.  Due to being sick in November, hand crafting a mess load of ornaments and hand making Christmas cards, I did not have time to always take pictures of things I made before I had to deliver them.  I am happy with the way things worked out for me this year 😊  I will show you the two gifts that I photographed in two parts, as not to have a super long, photo heavy post in one. 

My first gift is for my dear friend *A*.  She's such a sweetie!  I really do regard her quite affectionately.  She's so compassionate and intelligent.  Talking with her is a blast.  I wish she didn't live so far away at times, but I am grateful she always makes time for me when she is in town.  I think I make her a scarf every year... I am embarrassed about that fact, but I keep doing it anyway.  I guess old habits die hard.  She's such a good sport about it and acts surprised every year. Ha!!!

 

Sorry about the over exposure!  The lighting in my bat-cave of an apartment is practically non-existent.  The colors were a dark purple, a royal blue, and magenta.  Jewel tones and black around each African hexagon.  I promise I will stop making African hexies!  I just love them so much.  They're so feminine and sweet, but I think you can also design a color palette that is also edgy.  I hope this scarf is edgy....  I thought it was!

 

So, whenever I make something, I try to imagine how I would style it or what it would look like on a person....  So I played a little "dress up" with my dress form.  Ha! 

 

 

Yes, that is my dress and cardigan.  Seeing it in this post, I am laughing at myself.  I don't know why I have never grown out of loving to play dress up!  I love playing Barbies with my Little Darling.  I love fashion, make up, and playing make-believe.  I hope I never grow out of this because it really does bring me a deep, internal satisfaction that I can't explain.  It's a child-like happiness that's so deep within me, it warms me all over.

 

I wasn't going to show this, but what the heck, right?  I also play dress up with boy clothes too. LOL!  I made The Hubs the scarf he had been requesting since we have been together...  We have been a couple for NINE YEARS!  For our 8th wedding anniversary this past December, I surprised him with the scarf.  He was really shocked and happy.

 

 

It was a simple chunky black scarf.  It doesn't look very chunky in the picture though, ha!  It is very warm and soft.  The yarn was a Hobby Lobby brand.  I have not made a scarf for a man before...  Well, let me put it this way:  I have never made a scarf for a man and given it to him.  I have made hypothetical gifts, just playing around with patterns, designs, and color combinations.  I have never made something as a gift and then stuck around to see the result. Fortunately, The Hubs really loved it and wears it all the time. 

 

The scarf is just done in simple rows of double crochet stitches.  I chose the simple black because The Hubs is a simple man.  Also, because it goes well with his grey top coat and his grey jacket. Once again, playing dress up with my dress form! 

 

 

 

Out of all the accessories I have crocheted in the past, I definitely have a passion for making scarves.  It's the safest way to test out color combinations in rows.  It's the quickest way to piece together a bunch of motifs and complete a project.  It's the best way to learn and practice new stitches.  I love making scarves!  Be that as it may, I am hoping that next year, for my dear friend *A*, that I come up with something new that I enjoy! 

 

Have a wonderful Thursday.  I'll be back soon with Part Deux!