Thursday, December 11, 2008

Christmas Ornament - 2008

Disclaimer - Michelle, Tara, Andrea, Jessica - DO NOT READ THIS POST! I am giving you a moment to click off the page. Repeat - DO NOT READ THIS POST!!!


Allrighty then. Let's proceed.

Every year, for the last 28 years, I have made my girls a special handmade ornament for our Christmas tree. They each have their own little box that we store them in after Christmas. As they have married and/or left home, I give them their box to decorate their own trees with. I always remember our first Christmas tree. We spent $20 on the tree and we didn't have any money left to buy ornaments! So that's where my idea came from. My girls will have ornaments for their first trees!

It has always been a labor of love for me. I love finding the right ornament to make and spending the time to make them - realizing that for many, many years these ornaments will be loved and appreciated. Even after I am long gone, I think these ornaments will be passed down through the family and appreciated.

This year I have fallen in love with knitting. I have found much delight in working with two needles and yarn. And I have even become somewhat of a yarn snob! No more department store yarn for me. Once you work with quality yarn - you can't go back to the other. However, I made these ornaments out of simple cotton yarn bought at the drug store. And they turned out great.



I found the pattern here at Little Cotton Rabbits. Julie has other free patterns she has published on her blog as well. Everything she makes is just so sweet. Go check out her blog - you will enjoy it.

Anyway, usually the thought of knitting a sock would scare the bejeebers out of me. But these socks are not knit in the round. They are knit flat just using two needles and then you stitch up the back. Really simple. And really impressive.

I haven't given the girls their ornaments yet - I'm trying to organize a time to do it. It's always one of the best parts of Christmas for me.

Okay Tara girl. I know you well enough to know that you are still reading this post. You are so much like your mother its scary!!!

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, Robin! You are hilarious. I love that you can catch your daughter with those "eyes in the back of your head".

Those are adorable. Just adorable. And do you know that I thought of you, and still do everytime I pass our tree(s), as I have your handmade ornament from last year (the one you made for your board members I beleive) on our tree. Also, the santa stars you won and sent to me so sweetly.

They are on my "handmade trees" and I love them. Thank you again and again.

I'm going to go check that knitting site.

Karen said...

These are so sweet! What a beautiful tradition, to make the girls an ornament each year. I've been collecting ornaments for my kids, but I love the idea of having them handmade.

At first I thought these were for the babies:) Too cute!

Mrs. Julie Fink said...

What a wonderful idea!

Dawn said...

Fabulous job, dear Robin. I hope your daughters don't cheat! It's their loss if they do! I wish I had started such a tradition. I have to say I've kept all of the ornaments I've collected over the years. How selfish of me!

Dawn said...

I just read your previous post and I can feel your pain through your beautiful words. It's easy to talk about being obedient and leaving it all "on the altar" when we're not having to face doing it, isn't it??

Kathy Schwanke said...

You just never cease to amaze me with your talent. Fun post too expecting the girls to turn it off...haha

Willow said...

Really cute ornaments! I love the red and white. I made little mitten ornaments for all my students last year, but with 60 1st graders this year, I'm not doing that!

Tara said...

Ha! You caught me! My first thought when I saw the beginning of the post was 'how could I not read it after that?' The little stockings are cute though! Hang mine on the tree for me. :)