handmade gifts for christmas and celebrations 2011

Tescodealqueen

Hi just wanted to say hello. I have recently stopped working for a while and found a bit more time to search the forums. I make cards but did a bit more last Christmas and made some homemade sweets etc. I have subscribed to the thread and will catch up in the next few days. Looking forward to making more handmade things and catching up with all you crafty people.

curiouscrafter

Hello all,

I am fairly new to MSE, only joining in Jan and being a lurker on this great thread.
I have decided to make a few birthday presents through out the year and have seen some great things on here.
It's my nans 75th birthday in March and I would like to make her a hamper or something similar, but I dont know what to put in.
My Gramps recently passed away so she is now living on her own, she is quite active, she walks to town most days browsing the shops. I thought may a coffee shop voucher for when she pops to town and maybe a few magazines she can read at home to keep her company and possibly making some bath salts but I think I need to add some more things.
Please help if you can
Thank you

LolaLemon

curiouscrafter wrote: »

Hello all,

I am fairly new to MSE, only joining in Jan and being a lurker on this great thread.
I have decided to make a few birthday presents through out the year and have seen some great things on here.
It's my nans 75th birthday in March and I would like to make her a hamper or something similar, but I dont know what to put in.
My Gramps recently passed away so she is now living on her own, she is quite active, she walks to town most days browsing the shops. I thought may a coffee shop voucher for when she pops to town and maybe a few magazines she can read at home to keep her company and possibly making some bath salts but I think I need to add some more things.
Please help if you can
Thank you

retro sweets... fudge, toffee with hammer to break it...
shopping bag on wheels in nice funky pattern/colour.
scrap book of memories: include baby pictures of your grandparents, any brothers n sisters they had, and work your way back down the family tree and leave lots of pages for all the new and exciting people/memories she is going to make...
take a lovely old photo of her (maybe her wedding picture?another family type picture) to your local college/art class and ask if someone would mind doing a charcoal, canvas, pen, pencil, watercolour acrylic painting, either for free or a small fee....
blanket for when in the house, (u can get nice fleecy blanket material from material shops, all u would need to do is either hem it and put a nice contrasting ribon as the hem, or using a crochet/rug hook, crochet an edging around it....
i got a digital photo frame for my parents and put on some of thier fav music (they are only in their 40's so it was all 70's and 80's stuff) with loads of old pics of them growing up, me my sis and bro and now my son... the frame did cost me £28 inc del, was loads on one of thos grab it now websites, it should have been in the region of £80 but the calendar is wrong, think that is why it was reduced so much, but the site didnt say that and i didnt check them until a few months later..
dont get flowers, if anything go for a plant, my nana used to hate getting flowers, as tehy always die no matter what, but would love it if she got a plant in a nice pot.

cant think of anything else.

cheekycat1

Hello,
I posted a few bits last year on the thread and have been having a bit of a rest this year.
Am loving the Sock Monkey pennib! She looks great.

Also the hamper I make Cake hampers eg pamper hampers made to look like cakes. iyswim. I made a nice hamper for an eldery lady containing a huge colourful fleece blanket, a coffee plunger thingy, packs of different coffees and hot chocolates, some buscuits and chocolates too. This went down really well.

Hioing to post some more pics of my makes this year....so off to photobucket to try and sort some out now...fingers crossed.

cheekycat1

[IMG]http://[/img]hope this works, if it has it is one of 6 'cakes' that I amtaking to a shop to sell tomorrow. Need to start doing bits for fairs soon though.

CT19720

pennib wrote: »

This is my latest make. I'm going to have a go at making a dog at some point.
More piccys on my homepage.

What a fab monkey - I love the colours of the sock. I made my first one a couple of weeks ago, and still haven't added a mouth, as I don't know how to do it, so any tips you can give to doing the perfect mouth would be fab.

Also love the accessories - can I ask how many stitches you worked with to do the scarf, and what kind of wool you used? I attempted to make one for my monkey, but worked with 15 stitches with 4 ply wool, and it is far too wide, and too thick as well, but your one looks fab.

x

pennib

cheekycat1 there is no photo :0(

pennib

As I've been knitting for many years I have a 'feel' as to how many stitches to use
as each monkey is different in size. Just a case of practising till you are happy. Took me a
long time to get my monkies the way I like them, and as I sell them don't really want to say what
techniques I use. :0)

CT19720

Miss_Piggy wrote: »

Some lovely makes on here at the moment. Puts my efforts to shame!:rotfl:

Doing well on the granny squares for my nans blanket. Although I tried ironing one today as its curly edged (doing knit one row, pearl one row) and it came out like a limp dish rag!!:( Mum says it should improve if I give it a light hand wash. Anyone know of a better way of stopping edges curling or does it not matter if I'll be sewing them all together as a blanket?

Sorry to ask such stupid questions...new to knitting and don't want to muck it up!!:(

Miss P
xx

Hi,

Not sure if this helps you, but having just started knitting mug hugs, I had the same problem with curling and uneven edges. I found this link on youtube, to knit a scarf where the edges are even, and don't curl, and basically, you slip the first stitch onto the right needle without knitting it, and you knit the last stitch of the row from the back, and all the edges end up even and don't curl. I have just finished my very first knitted scarf, and have done this for the whole scarf and it looks fab - just need to add the fringe, then will post a picture.

Not sure what you do for a pearl row about which way to slip the first stitch, and how to purl the last, because my scarf was all done with the knit stitch, but if you dig a little on Judy's videos I am sure she will cover it.

Hope this helps

xx

gemini12

I am a very happy bunny this am as I went to see my sister and have come back with about three bags of asssorted fabric plus another bagful of other craft stuff. All I need to do is get going , dig out the sewing machine etc and start sewing.:j