Owl hat for my niece. I knit it ages ago, but didn't sew the buttons on until Christmas Eve.

Holiday Bread, on its last rise. It's challah dough, with a filling made of dates and dried apricots.

right out of the oven. The round loaf cracked a bit, cause it stuck to the edge of the pan.

Garlic bread

My favorite corner of the kitchen, with my makeshift spice-rack (it needs another shelf)

I got sick of kitchen drawers getting stuck, so I made a "utensil bouquet". It now lives next to the stove.

The holiday preparation continues! I've decided to do a lot of baking this year, because Christmas cookies are awesome. Last year I made my chocoholic brother a batch of fudge. He loved it, but later that day he said to me, "You know what else is really good in fudge? Walnuts." (Nut allergies run in my family and I couldn't remember if he was one of the people contending with it, so I left them out).

So this year I'm making fudge with walnuts, fudge without (for my niece, who is allergic), candied orange peels (because they're festive and very, very easy), spicy gingerbread cookies, jam thumbprints (they're a family tradition), and a riff on Northern European Christmas breads.

I'm also making Christmas cards. My roommate and I are going to buy craft paper, glue, and other card-making supplies tonight. And then tomorrow I'm going to put a big pot of soup on, make a loaf of bread, turn on some Christmas music, and we'll make cards. That should be fun :)

Today I bought supplies for making the fudge and the candied orange peels, since those are things that will keep well for a long time. I also took a trip to my neighborhood thrift store. I saw a lot of stuff that would be really cute and useful with a coat of paint, but decided to wait on any new projects. I did buy a CD of Celtic holiday music (which I'm listening to right now), a whisk, and a working Sunbeam electric hand-mixer (I've had my eye out for an electric mixer for a while). My total was $7, not bad at all. I love finding treasures. 

Handmade Holiday 2011: Socks

Not everyone is pumped to open their Christmas present and find a pair of socks inside, but I happen to know a few people who love having something cozy to wear on their feet. I love being able to create useful things that completely suit my friends and family members' taste. It's also nice to be able to make something that will ultimately be an object of comfort to the recipient.

Socks are also a very quick, easy knitting project. It's just difficult enough not to be monotonous.

This Christmas I'm knitting 4 pairs of socks. Here's one of the patterns I'm using:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-nice-ribbed-sock

Sock knitting resources:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/FEATsocks101.html
http://www.socknitters.com/Tips/heels_by_the_number.htm
http://knittersreview.com/article_how_to.asp?article=/review/profile/011004_a.asp
http://www.fibergypsy.com/common/socksize.shtml

Handmade Holiday 2011

A couple of years ago I decided that once I had my own place and my own life, I wanted my holidays to be as simple as possible. I still feel that way. I want home to be a cozy place filled with things that I've created with my own hands, and the smell of food that I've cooked. I want the holidays to be about enjoying good food and good company, and maybe an exchange of small thoughtful gifts.

I've never been into the noise and stress of conventional holiday preparations. I hope I won't get caught up in all that as I get older. Simple, low-key holidays seem to be where it's at.

As a part of this commitment to simplify my holidays, I've decided to make all of my Christmas gifts this year (I can knit and cook). It's a lot of work, I'm about halfway through my knitting projects and the holiday is less than a month away, but I'm having fun with it. I love being able to design and customize every single gift, making it special for the people on the receiving end.